Evidence-Based Advocacy for Policy Reform

Date: Wednesday, October 2, 2024 @ 3:00-4:30pm ET (2CT/1MT/12PT)

Description:

Clinical best practices and evidence-based treatment approaches are evolving faster than many systems can support. It is critical that clinicians and leadership understand where legislative and municipal barriers exist, as well as how they can act as advocates for clients with substance use disorder (SUD) and their own prevention, treatment, and recovery systems. Historically, punitive approaches have not only been ineffective, but have contributed to the exacerbation of racial and socioeconomic disparities in our criminal justice system and communities. The conversation is changing to a public health, harm reduction approach. However, changing the laws to ensure that research and evidence can be implemented on the ground is a critical and under-addressed aspect of our work.

Presenter:

Lisa Peterson, LMHC, LCDP, LCDS, MAC, is the Chief Operating Officer at VICTA, an organization providing integrated substance use, mental health, and ambulatory medical services in Providence, RI. Over the past 25 years, Peterson has provided direct clinical services and leadership in a variety of treatment settings, with a long-term focus on integrating all aspects of care to support whole-person wellness. She is currently the President of the Rhode Island Association for Addiction Professionals, a state Affiliate of NAADAC. Peterson is also the co-founder and co-chair of the Substance Use Policy, Education, and Recovery PAC where she has had extensive experience working for and speaking about state-level policy and legislation that aligns with current knowledge and best practices in addressing substance use and substance use disorders.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to describe the processes from which research/evidence become law, including an analysis of key stakeholders.
• Participants will be able to analyze and produce a synopsis of the current political landscape in their own context (e.g. local, state, national).
• Participants will be able to apply lessons learned about policy to develop potential change strategies and outcomes in their own context, creating a process map of next steps.

Content Level:

All Levels.

• Beginning level courses introduce learners to a content area; include information about a condition, treatment method, or issue; and involve learning and comprehending content.
• Intermediate level courses provide information that builds on knowledge practitioners with some experience already have. These courses focus on skill-building or adding knowledge, possibly following a brief overview of basic information, and involve using information in concrete situations and understanding the underlying structure of the material.
• Advanced level courses provide content for participants who have been working in the content area and have a clear understanding of the issues. These courses cover and address the complexities involved in the work and involve synthesizing material to create new patterns or structures or evaluating material for a specific purpose.

Interactivity:

Polls and Q&A.

Price:

Education is FREE to all professionals.