5th Annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit Begins March 28 in Atlanta; Speakers include CleanSlate Centers and President Obama
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 25, 2016 -- Dr. Kelly J. Clark, MD, MBA, DFAPA, DFASAM of CleanSlate Centers will serve as speaker and moderator at the 2016 National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, which runs from March 28 through March 31 at The Westin Peachtree Plaza hotel in downtown Atlanta. CleanSlate Centers also is a sponsor. A founding member of the Summit’s Advisory Board, Dr. Clark is the President Elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of CleanSlate Centers.
The Summit is the largest national collaboration of federal, state and local professionals seeking to address prescription drug abuse, misuse and diversion. This year the Summit has expanded its focus to address the emerging heroin crisis, which has been linked to the prescription drug problem.
Dr. Clark explains CleanSlate’s approach to treatment:
"Addiction is a chronic brain disease. Our approach at CleanSlate is to treat patients suffering from this disease in a similar manner as we medical professionals approach the treatment of diabetes. We combine a biological, psychological, and social approach to treating addiction. This evidenced based care has proven effective in helping those in need to succeed in managing this challenging disorder."
“By bringing together the top professionals across the spectrum, we are advancing a much-needed, multi-faceted approach to combating the drug abuse epidemic across the country,” said Nancy Hale, President/CEO for Operation UNITE, the Summit's organizer. “We are pleased that CleanSlate Centers is a key participant and sponsor. By sharing those resources and expertise, CleanSlate Centers is helping fight this epidemic by working to create a solution that will save lives, families and entire communities.”
More than 1,600 of the nation’s top researchers, law enforcement, advocates and policy-makers will participate.
Dr. Clark will serve as either speaker or moderator for the following summit events:
- Pre-Summit Workshop: Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
- Heroin Track: Community Responses to Heroin: North Carolina and Northern Kentucky
- Clinical Track: Co-Prescribing Opioids and Benzodiazepines: Risks and Recommendations
- Treatment Track: Buprenorphine: Knocking Out Pill Mills and Minimizing Diversion
President Barack Obama will be in attendance to address the summit due to the national epidemic of opioid addiction.
Other keynote and general session speakers include:
- Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture
- U. S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers, R-Kentucky 5th District, Chair, Committee on Appropriations
- Michael P. Botticelli, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Dr. Tom Frieden, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health
- Dr. Robert M. Califf, Commissioner, United States Food and Drug Administration
- Dr. Eli Capilouto, President, University of Kentucky
- Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Kana Enomoto, Acting Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration
- Chuck Rosenberg, Acting Administrator, United States Drug Enforcement Administration
- A forum featuring Congressional leaders
In addition, break-out sessions will focus on issues such as how drug treatment courts are providing an alternative to incarceration, preventing Hepatitis C and HIV outbreaks, early identification of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs and ADHD medication among youth. To properly address the issue, the 2016 Summit has expanded the number of breakout sessions to include an educational track focused specifically on heroin-related topics.
The Appalachian Regional Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also will have an interactive exhibit for attendees to create six-word stories, snap photos of themselves and their stories at the exhibit photo booth, and share using hashtags #RxSummit and #RxProblem. Those photos, as well as daily coverage of the Summit can be found on the Summit’s Facebook and Twitter social media channels.
For more information on the Summit, visit http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org.
Chris Cooney, WilMark Group, +1 4079216932, [email protected]
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