How do we prevent overdose in our communities? Join us to learn innovative approaches taking place across the country to prevent new addictions, get people into treatment, and save lives. We will hear from a youth leader in a rural community on how he and his peers are building awareness on the risks of drug use, a substance use navigator connecting patients in the emergency room to addiction treatment, and a government leader implementing a broad campaign with bars, motels and other partners to make fentanyl test strips and naloxone, the lifesaving overdose reversal agent, readily available.

This webinar is part of our new series entitled Building a Movement of Knowledge, Action and Empathy to Prevent Overdose Deaths. Our goal is to increase knowledge of overdose prevention among a broad audience including community members, law enforcement, parents, first responders, educators, teachers, clergy, service providers, businesses, librarians, and more. Help us build an informed, actionable, and empathetic movement by making sure members of your community are registered for this webinar and ongoing series. Please share the registration link with at least three local listservs, social media accounts, or individuals.

This Web Forum is sponsored by the National Overdose Prevention Network, and produced by Dialogue4Health, both programs of PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact.

Support for this webinar series was made possible through funding from the California Health Care Foundation.

Every day, local coalitions across California implement innovative strategies to advance overdose prevention, treatment, and harm reduction. On Wednesday, May 14 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm PT to attendees learned about new methods and practices that can be adopted in their own community. We heard from a panel of local coalition leaders who shared valuable insights on how their collaborative efforts have been put into action. After the panel, participants joined breakout rooms to dive further into the innovative approaches and learned practical steps to get started in their own community.

Over the past six years, the National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) has partnered with Faith in Harm Reduction (FIHR) to provide support and resources for those who use drugs connected through communities of faith. Now, the FIHR is striking out on its own as an independent nonprofit. Join us on Tuesday, August 22 from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT to hear from Reverend Erica Poellot and Hill Brown about how you can incorporate strategic partnerships with faith-based organizations into your overdose prevention work.

Join us for the second session of our COPN webinar series on youth overdose prevention. This session will focus on opportunities for substance use prevention, treatment and harm reduction with teens and adolescents.

Participants will hear from leaders of the California Youth Opioid Response (YOR California) who will provide an overview of the current landscape of prevention, treatment and recovery services for teens. The session will also feature on-the-ground strategies, policies and practices being used in Marin County including a youth prevention and harm reduction curriculum and Narcan distribution in schools. Finally, a representative from the Youth Peer Mentor Program (YPMP) will talk about prevention and treatment groups for transitional age youth in and out of custody. Participants will come away with tactical opportunities for local coalitions and other leaders in overdose prevention to partner with schools, community partners, and youth themselves. Spread the word and register today!

There are currently 65 syringe services programs (SSPs) operating in 33 counties across California that collectively serve more than 100,000 people each year. Join us on Wednesday, April 12 for a webinar that will showcase the important work of California’s syringe services programs and opportunities for you to build strong partnerships with local harm reduction leaders. Our speaker, Loris Mattox, from the California Department of Public Health will outline the work and impact of these key programs and ways to effectively partner with local harm reduction programs to reach people who use drugs.

Many successful programs are underway in California to expand access to addiction treatment. Join us for the first webinar in our series where we will talk about CA Bridge, an innovative program that provides training, technical assistance, and coaching to hospitals to treat substance use disorder like any other life-threatening condition. We will hear from Sherrie Cisneros, the Navigator Program Director for CA Bridge who will discuss the program model, its impact to date, and opportunities for local partners to collaborate with Substance Use Navigators (SUNs) in Bridge hospitals. Spread the word and register today!

Join us for the first session of our upcoming COPN webinar series on youth overdose prevention strategies. This first session in the series will focus on opportunities for early childhood and feature examples on whole child school-based systems of care. Participants will also learn about how to explore opportunities for local coalitions and other leaders in overdose prevention to engage with schools and after school programs. Spread the word and register today!

Successful overdose prevention strategies require cooperation from a range of stakeholders within your community. Join us for this comprehensive session on how to build strategic partnerships and integrate a variety of specialties in your overdose prevention efforts. 

This interactive session explored key questions, challenges, and solutions to organize our thinking around centering health equity and building strategic partnerships within our local response to the overdose crisis.

Substance use and trauma are intrinsically linked, with other mental health disorders often co-occurring with substance use disorder. Join us for the third and final session of this 3-part special webinar series with S. Brooke Briggance, Program Director for the Cypress Resilience Project and a Certified Trainer in Trauma Informed Systems and Practice, about the role a Trauma Informed Practice can play in overdose prevention, how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action. Session 3 will be on: Secondary Impacts of Trauma: Mental Health, Substance Use and Public Health.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are shown to increase the risk of chronic health conditions including substance use disorder. These ACES, frequently experienced as “trauma” in early childhood, can have a profound impact on one’s health. Fortunately, there is growing recognition that a trauma-informed approach can help individuals, organizations and systems better serve those living with addiction.

Join us for a conversation with a researcher and practitioner about the link between ACEs and substance use. We will explore specific partnership opportunities that can benefit your work, and approaches to reframing the conversation in our communities.

The Center for Health Leadership and Practice is pleased to announce its upcoming Accelerator 3.0 program for local, multi-sector coalitions. This year’s cohort is designed to help California communities fortify their local strategy and response to surging rates of overdose from Fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs. This is a great opportunity for coalitions to develop a data-informed approach to their community's response to drug overdoses and create more equitable outcomes. Join this information session to learn more about the program and application process. We will include a live Q&A session to address any questions about the program or application.

Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with Cindy Cipriani, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Office of the U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California. We will speak with Ms. Cipriani about the various divisions within the justice system, its key players, and how justice works in overdose prevention.

This webinar will feature how to communicate data in cogent, engaging, and persuasive ways. Andy and Sarah will share lessons learned in data storytelling, and demo two new presentation templates –a dashboard and a fact sheet –that any coalition in California can use for their work.

Many parts of young people’s lives remain hidden in plain sight, they may have unsupported behavioral health concerns, challenges, and/or experienced family instability, abuse, violence, and rejection. Youth engagement and providing stability can play a meaningful role in supporting overdose prevention and linkages to treatment. Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with Graciela Razo, Harm Reduction Coordinator for Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project in New York City. We will speak with Graciela about the role harm reduction and youth outreach play in overdose prevention, how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action. Register today.

Substance use and trauma are intrinsically linked, with other mental health disorders often co-occurring with substance use disorder. Join us for this second of a three part special webinar series with S. Brooke Briggance, Program Director for the Cypress Resilience Project and a Certified Trainer in Trauma Informed Systems and Practice, about the role a Trauma Informed Practice can play in overdose prevention and how to partner effectively. The topic for this session is: Neurobiology of Trauma, Co-regulation and Toxic Stress Management.

In the summer of 2020, data storyteller Andy Krackov and epidemiologist Sarah Marikos worked closely with a number of coalitions in the COPN network to help them find, analyze, and communicate local data related to substance use. Based on this experience, Sarah and Andy, along with CHLP staff, developed a comprehensive COPN Measurement Guide. This guide offers practical advice on leveraging data through use cases, worksheets, and includes links to numerous resources. During part I of this two-part series, Sarah and Andy will share lessons learned in data storytelling and unveil the COPN Measurement Guide that any coalition in California can use for their work.

Substance use and historical trauma are intrinsically linked. Join us for a panel discussion on addressing Historical Trauma as a critical factor in supporting those with substance use disorders (SUD). Black, brown, and indigenous communities in particular have experienced trauma that directly links to their current and historical experiences around SUD. Current treatment systems frequently fall short by not addressing these historical injustices and trauma. Join us to learn how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action.

This workshop is the second in a two-part webinar series that will explore conducting a community assessment that reflects input from both external and internal sources and describes how this can inform programmatic priorities and decisions. This final part will concentrate on methods for assessing internal organizational groups.

Higher Education can play a meaningful role in supporting overdose prevention and linkages to treatment. Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with Allison Smith, PhD, Sr. Program Administrator for the Louisiana Center Addressing Substance Use in Collegiate Communities (LaCASU) office of the Board of Regents for the State of Louisiana. We will speak with Dr. Smith about the role of Higher Education, how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action.

Join the COPN statewide convening to hear from leaders across various sectors and explore opportunities to adapt your overdose prevention and treatment strategies at the local level.

Pharmacists can play a meaningful role in supporting overdose prevention and linkages to treatment. The perception of a pharmacist as someone behind a counter counting out pills is outdated. Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with James Gasper, PharmD, a Board Certified Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorder Pharmacist with the California Department of Health Care Services. We will speak with Dr. Gasper about the role of pharmacists, how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action. Register today and read more about Dr. Gasper’s story here.

This workshop is the first of a two-part webinar series that will explore conducting a community assessment that reflects input from both external and internal sources and describes how this can inform programmatic priorities and decisions. This segment will focus on the benefits, mechanics, and impacts of community assessment, along with knowing how to pivot based on results.

Our country is experiencing a national reckoning with criminal justice and the war on drugs. Join us for a panel discussion on novel approaches to addressing overdose prevention, treatment and recovery within criminal justice.

Law enforcement leaders can play a meaningful role in supporting overdose prevention and linkages to treatment. Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with Judy A. Gerhardt, CPP, a former Commander with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. We will speak with Commander Gerhardt about the role of law enforcement, how to partner effectively, and what strategies look like in action.

ODMAP is an application that provides near real-time suspected overdose surveillance data across jurisdictions to support public safety and public health efforts to mobilize an immediate response to a sudden increase or spike in overdose events. Please join us at 9 AM Pacific time/12 PM Eastern time for a conversation with Mark Karandang from Northern California HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Prevention Initiative to learn about how ODMAP could assist your community to better utilize near real-time data to save lives from overdose. The principles of the system will be explained, as well as show how to explore further in your community.

Join us for the next webinar in our Meet the Partner series for a live discussion with Roneet Lev, MD, an emergency medicine physician who has pioneered opportunities for overdose prevention at the local, state and national level.

Substance use and trauma are intrinsically linked, with other mental health disorders often co-occurring with substance use disorder. Join us for an important discussion on how trauma informed practice is an important piece to include in your work on the ground.

Our country is experiencing a mental health crisis. The stress and social isolation due to COVID-19 has resulted in an uptick in unsafe drug practices, and we need more people equipped to respond to those experiencing a mental health emergency. Join us for a panel discussion with leaders in behavioral health on how to think differently about addiction and overdose prevention in the current era.