Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) is set to host its 2024 Opioid Summit on Thursday, June 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bayou Pointe Event Center at the University of Louisiana Monroe. The theme for the 2024 Opioid Summit is "Louisiana's Opioid Crisis: From Problems to Solutions."
MONROE, La., June 11, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) is set to host its 2024 Opioid Summit on Thursday, June 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bayou Pointe Event Center at the University of Louisiana Monroe. The theme for the 2024 Opioid Summit is "Louisiana's Opioid Crisis: From Problems to Solutions."
NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said, "We are seeing a resurgence of opioid-related treatment needs, arrests, hospitalizations, and deaths in our region, the state of Louisiana, and across the nation and this event will help inspire others to work with us bringing resilience into our region."
"Opioid addiction will be mitigated once we develop enough compassion for those addicted and get them the evidence-based treatment they need," Dr. Sizer said. "We have to work to reduce those negative social determinants that drive their addiction and help the people addicted to opioids find something to live for other than drugs."
NEDHSA's Opioid Summit is an opportunity for behavioral health professionals, primary healthcare workers, law enforcement, federal, state, and local officials, clergy, and advocates to collaborate on how to address this complex societal issue with action. NARCAN training and distribution will also be available to all attendees.
Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Ralph L. Abraham, M.D., will be this year's keynote speaker. As secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, Dr. Abraham leads the state's largest agency with a budget of $19.8 billion and a team responsible for delivering services to millions of Louisianans. LDH protects and promotes health for Louisiana residents through services provided by Medicaid and the Offices of Public Health, Behavioral Health, Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Aging and Adult Services, Women's Health and Community Health, and Emergency Preparedness. These programs ensure access to medical, preventative, and rehabilitative services for Louisiana's most vulnerable residents. Dr. Abraham is a practicing family medicine physician in Richland Parish and is a former three-term Congressman for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District. Throughout his almost 30-year medical career, Dr. Abraham has seen firsthand Louisiana's many healthcare challenges.
Other panelists and speakers include Dr. Sizer; Dr. Avius Carroll, Director of NEDHSA's Prevention & Wellness Department; District Attorney Steve Tew – District Attorney for the 4th Judicial District serving Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes; Judge Alvin Sharpe – Judge for the 4th Judicial District, Division I in Louisiana serving Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes; Attorney Anita Tennant Mack – has worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Sixth JDC for altogether 18 years as well as managed her private practice, The Law Office of Anita Tennant-Mack, here in Monroe, Louisiana; Senior Master Sargeant Rylan Choate – Drug Demand Reduction, Louisiana National Guard Counterdrug Program, and; Riley McEacharn – Administrator of Second Chances Addiction Recovery Center.
There will also be a vendor fair, free massages, continental breakfast, lunch, and performances by Coco York and Dan Sumner.
To register for this event as a participant and/or vendor, visit: https://hsaopioid2024.eventbrite.com
Media Contact
DeRon Talley, Northeast Delta HSA, 318-237-9973, [email protected], nedeltahsa.org
SOURCE Northeast Delta HSA
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