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Please register for each day you plan to attend.
View recordings and materials from the 2023 series, 2022 series, and 2021 series.
DAY 1: AUGUST 7
Buprenorphine: A Panel Discussion
9:00am – 10:45am
This session will start with short presentations from our 4 panelists. Dr. Chris Buresh with UW Medicine/Seattle Children’s will present the 24/7 telebuprenorphine hotline. Dr. Callan Fockele and Dr. Kira Gressman with Harborview Medical Center will discuss efforts in Seattle/King County around field initiation by EMS of buprenorphine. Jordan Mohrenne with South County Fire will discuss similar efforts in Snohomish County. We will then shift to a panel discussion with questions welcomed from attendees.
Panelists
Christopher Buresh MD, MPH, DTM&H, FAAP, FACEP
Dr. Buresh is an emergency medicine physician and pediatrician. He sees patients at Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital. His focus is on optimizing the care of adult and pediatric populations when they have acute time-sensitive injuries or illnesses. He also has an interest in understanding how policies, social structures, and economic factors impact people’s health, how they seek care, and their outcomes.
Callan Fockele, MD
Dr. Fockele is an emergency physician with advanced training in population health research and addiction medicine. She works clinically in the Harborview Medical Center Emergency Department and Healthcare in Housing program. She is dedicated to broadening the addiction services provided to the most vulnerable patients seeking emergency care in our community.
Kira Gressman, MD
Jordan Mohrenne
Jordan Mohrenne is a Community Health Worker with South County Fire with more than 5 years of experience working with dual diagnosis, co-occurring mental health, working with substance abusing families involved with the foster care system, and youth treatment. Jordan has worked across the country and served in roles in both urban and rural areas to address SUD in the community.
Safer Use Supplies for Overdose & Infectious Disease Prevention
11:00am – 12:00pm
This session will present the array of safer use supplies available in one syringe services program (SSP) and discuss the public health utility behind distributing such supplies. Melissa Cross and Malia Lewis will provide an overview of supply distribution in an SSP setting and discuss how certain supplies may provide opportunities to offer services beyond what the SSP alone has to offer.
Speakers: Malia Lewis, MSW and Melissa Cross, RN
Malia Lewis, MSW is a syringe services program manager and drug checking technician serving Southeastern Washington at Blue Mountain Heart to Heart. They are a rural harm reductionist and educator who came to this work from an anti-poverty and anti-violence advocacy background. Malia works in the Health Hub program providing drug checking services, overdose prevention education, safer use supplies, and naloxone. They also serve as a member of the Washington state Safe Supply Work Group.
Melissa Cross, RN
Melissa Cross is a registered nurse who has been working at Blue Mountain Heart to Heart for over six years in programs located in Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities and Clarkston in Washington as well as in Pendleton, Oregon. Melissa has worked in the outpatient addiction medicine clinic, on the drug user mobile health unit, as well as in the correctional setting serving those involved in the justice system. Currently Melissa is working in the Health Engagement Hub program seeking to provide primary care, harm reduction, vaccination, HIV/HCV and STI testing and wound care for people who often fall in the gaps of the traditional care continuum.
Silent Intruder: Xylazine’s Impact on Public Health
12:45pm – 1:45pm
In this session, we aim to increase awareness of xylazine, an emerging threat in the drug scene, by educating the audience on its approved uses in veterinary medicine and its misuse in the human population. We will delve into the health impacts and risks associated with xylazine, highlighting both acute and chronic effects, potential for overdose, and the complications that arise in clinical settings. Furthermore, we will provide insights into public health initiatives, community education, the role of poison control centers, and the development of guidelines for healthcare providers to mitigate the impact of xylazine misuse.
Speaker: Sasha Kaiser, MD
Meth: The Forgotten Drug
2:00pm – 3:00pm
After this presentation, the participant will understand:
1. What is methamphetamine, to include its effects.
2. Trends – illicit usage to include polysubstance, overdoses, availability/supply.
3. Treatment considerations.
4. Public health response to contaminated sites.
Speaker: Bob Lutz, MD, MPH
Upon moving to Spokane, WA in 2004 with his wife, Amy, he served on the Spokane Regional Health District’s Board of Health for eight years, until being appointed as the Health Officer for Spokane County, WA from 2017-2020 and Asotin County from 2018-present. He joined the Washington Department of Health in 2020 and served as the DOH COVID-19 Medical Advisor through August 2022. He served as one of DOH’s four Regional Medical Officers through April 2024, when returned to local public health. As a street medicine provider for CHAS, an eastern Washington federally qualified health center, his recognition of societal factors contributing to health inequities underlies his commitment to improving the lives of everyone, especially those challenged to do so for themselves.
Medication Overdose Considerations for Older Adults
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Older adults have many special considerations relating to medication use, as we know age impacts how medications work in our bodies and how we respond to certain medications. We also know that medication misuse and abuse does happen among older adults, and that those special age-related considerations may still apply. In this session we’ll discuss safe medication use, accidental and intentional overdose, and harm reduction strategies to employ when working with the older adult population (age 65+).
Speaker: Abby Winter, PharmD
DAY 2: AUGUST 14
Cannabis Use & Psychosis Risk: What Do We Need to Know?
9:00am – 10:00am
As cannabis use has increased worldwide, so has the incidence of psychosis. People who present to the emergency department experiencing a cannabis-induced psychosis event have a much greater risk of developing schizophrenia years later. The Cannabis Education and Research Program led by Dr. Bia Carlini will present emerging trends related to cannabis induced psychosis and psychotic disorders, which populations are at greatest risk, and how clinicians, policymakers, and consumers may be able to mitigate harms.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how acute psychosis events have changed since legalization.
2. Understand the relationship between cannabis-induced psychotic events and psychotic disorders.
3. Name at least two factors that increase risk of experiencing psychosis.
4. Discuss potential interventions that could reduce the number of people who experience mental health harms associated with cannabis use.
Speakers: Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH and Sharon Garrett, MA, MPH
Dr. Beatriz Carlini, PhD, MPH (Bia) is Research Associate Professor at the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Her research career has been dedicated to understanding the public health impact of legal psychoactive substance use (such as alcohol, inhalants, tobacco, and cannabis) and policies on social and health outcomes. Since 2016, Dr. Carlini has led the ADAI Cannabis Research and Education Program, including acting as the Program Chair of the UW Cannabis Research Symposium, and conducting cannabis research that assists Washington community-based agencies, government agencies, and policymakers in making decisions and setting priorities.
Sharon Garrett, MPH, MA
Sharon Garrett, MPH, MA is a Research Scientist at the University of Washington’s Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI). She has overseen the implementation of multiple protocols within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN), evaluating psychosocial and pharmacotherapy interventions for treating substance use disorders. She also participates in the CTN PNW Node Community Engagement subcommittee and contributes to the organization and maintenance of the PNW Node Community Advisory Board which was established in 2023 as a conduit connecting UW research with the needs of our partners.
Since 2012, she has been an active member of ADAI’s Cannabis Education & Research Program (CERP), where she has collaborated on various projects exploring public health impacts of cannabis legalization in WA State. She has been a Project Coordinator in the development of three online trainings; a CME course for healthcare providers on the use of cannabis to treat chronic pain, and two cannabis trainings designed for helpline staff and for the public. She has also contributed to projects funded by the WA State I-502 dedicated marijuana fund to better understand adult cannabis use in the context of legalization, including focus groups with adult cannabis users, cannabis retail store staff, and parents who use cannabis. In 2022, this team evaluated policy options for reducing harms related to high-THC products, resulting in a package of recommendations for the WA State legislature.
Harm Reduction Messaging within Prevention & Intervention Efforts for College Students and Young Adults
10:30am – 11:30am
In this presentation, we will review what it means to “do” harm reduction, including a focus on how messages can be delivered within a motivational enhancement framework. Specific guidelines for reducing the harms associated with alcohol use and with cannabis use will be discussed, as will opportunities for prevention and intervention.
Speaker: Jason Kilmer, PhD
Counting Sheep: VX and The Rock and Skull Valley Incident
12:45pm – 1:45pm
Like most Winter mornings, March 14th, 1968 in rural, Skull Valley, Utah was chilly and the hills were covered in snow. On closer evaluation, however, this was not just another morning. Strewn and camouflaged upon the snowy hills was a carnage of 1000’s of sheep. Concerns obviously arose, including: Had the sheep contracted an infectious illness? Had they grazed on poisonous plants? Had they succumbed to pesticides used on the plants? Or… was it the neighboring Dugway Proving Ground, where the U.S. Army was conducting chemical weapons testing, that was the culprit?
Speaker: Sukhi Atti, MD, MPH
Adolescent Suicidality: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention Response
2:00pm – 3:00pm
This 1-hour session is focused on addressing prevention and intervention techniques to address adolescent suicidality, in addition to discussing postvention response to a suicidal crisis.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify lethal means restriction and safety planning techniques for a suicidal crisis.
2. Learn brief interventions for managing suicidal risk.
3. Identify postvention responses to a suicidal crisis.
Speaker: Jennifer Cadigan, PhD
Nationwide Newsworthy Drugs
3:15pm – 4:30pm
This session will cover several drugs that have hit the headlines including semaglutide and tirzepatide, tianeptine, marijuana analogs, mushroom edibles, and others. Learn why they are newsworthy, why or if you should be concerned, and some of the symptoms associated with these drugs.
Speaker: Jimmy Leonard, PharmD, DABAT
DAY 3: AUGUST 21
Withdrawal
9:00am – 10:15am
This will be a lecture presentation that will describe the physiologic process of withdrawal from addictive substances. We will review withdrawal as a general process in the body, then detail the unique properties and presentations of alcohol withdrawal, opioid withdrawal (including the unique properties of fentanyl withdrawal), stimulant withdrawal, cannabis withdrawal, and benzodiazepine withdrawal. By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Describe how withdrawal occurs in the body.
2. Identify life threatening symptoms of various withdrawal processes.
3. Explain what typical withdrawal symptoms are experienced in withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, stimulants, cannabis, and benzodiazepines.
Speaker: Nicole Rodin, PharmD, MBA
Humanizing through Connection
10:30am – 11:30am
I will be discussing my lived experience as a mother who lost her 20-year-old son to a Fentanyl overdose. This will include my experience with grief and stigma. In addition, I will share information on the subsequent founding of my non-profit organization, Fentanyl United Crisis Coalition and it’s mission to provide information, resources and harm reduction education to youth and young adults.
Speaker: Milli Militi Jigamian
Fentanyl Exposures in Young Children
12:45pm – 1:45pm
1. Learners will understand clinical effects of fentanyl in young children.
2. Learners will understand the poison prevention practices that may be used to decrease fentanyl exposures in young children.
Panelists
Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Toxicology for over thirty years, Dr. Scott Phillips is the Executive and Medical Director of the Washington Poison Center (WAPC). In addition to his position at the WAPC, Dr. Phillips continues to work as a hospitalist at Providence Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville, Washington. As a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, and the American College of Medical Toxicology, Dr. Phillips is dedicated to ongoing education and teaching. Focusing on environmental toxicology and health risk assessment, Dr. Phillips has authored over 200 articles, chapters and abstracts as well as several textbooks on medical toxicology.
Rob Hendrickson, MD, FACMT, FAACT
Rob Hendrickson is an emergency physician and medical toxicologist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. He is the Medical Director of the Oregon Poison Center and the program director of OHSU’s medical toxicology fellowship.
Courtney Temple, MD
Courtney Temple is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Medical Toxicology Faculty at the Oregon Poison Center. Originally from the East Coast, she completed both medical school and residency at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Temple has interests in both Emergency Medicine and toxicology, particularly in the areas of natural toxins and new psychoactive substances.
Safety Through Connection: The Friends for Life Fentanyl Education Campaign
2:00pm – 3:00pm
The Washington State Health Care Authority has partnered with DH, a social impact communications agency, to create the Friends for Life campaign, an education and awareness campaign to prevent opioid overdoses. When the campaign began in 2022, 70% of all overdose deaths in Washington state involved fentanyl, with rates rising fastest among young adults aged 18 – 25.
The Friends for Life campaign had the following goals: educate people about the transformation in the drug supply driven by illicit fentanyl, help people learn to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using nasal spray naloxone, and equip people with other prevention and harm reduction techniques. The campaign is designed to reach youth (12 -17), young adults (18 -25) and their parents and caregivers.
In our one-hour Overdose Awareness Series presentation, Corie Bales, DH’s Director of Content Development, will overview the deep research and social change practices that underpin the campaign, walk through the development of campaign design and messaging, and preview harm reduction and prevention materials. Participants can expect to learn more about what social change marketing is, why positive social norming works, how to develop effective messaging, and how and where to use the campaign materials in their communities.
Speaker: Corie Bales, MA
Adolescent Over-the-Counter Overdoses
3:15pm – 4:30pm
Adolescents represent a unique population when discussing non-prescription medication overdoses. This session will provide a brief overview of the most common medications used by adolescents for self-harm attempts, intentional medication misuse, and therapeutic error overdoses. Specific risk factors for these overdoses will be reviewed, as well as known protective factors and prevention strategies for decreasing adolescent over-the-counter medication overdoses.
Learning Objectives:
– For adolescents, what are the most common medications which are involved in suicidal overdoses, misuse/abuse, and clinically significant therapeutic dosing errors?
– What risk factors increase the risk of adolescent over-the-counter medication overdoses?
– What strategies can be implemented to decrease the risk of adolescent overdoses?
Speaker: Colleen Cowdery, MD
DAY 4: AUGUST 28
Naloxone in Schools: A Panel Discussion
9:00am – 10:15am
This session will start with brief introductions from our many esteemed panelists, then will dive right into a facilitated discussion (audience questions and comments encouraged!) about naloxone in high schools. SB 5804, passed earlier this year, requires that naloxone is available in Washington State high schools in school districts with over 2000 students. In this session, we will learn more about why this law is in place, challenges to policy implementation, community reactions, and more.
Panelists
Representative Gerry Pollet, JD, represents the 46th District (North & NE Seattle) in the Washington Legislature. Gerry has taught the second year Policy Block in Community Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) as well as Environmental Health. His legislative work reflects his interest in public health policy and collaboration with COPHP students, including passing the first state legislation in the US regulating e-cigarette and vaping products, first in US legislation to address sexual misconduct “Passing the Harasser” practices at WA colleges and universities, WA’s environmental justice laws, and eliminating lead in school water. He has also been recognized as the leading advocate in the Legislature for special education and for his work on behalf of access for postsecondary education. Gerry has been appointed by the Governor to be one of Washington’s three Commissioners on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.
Gerry was the lead organizer for the initial effort to cleanup the massive Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the most contaminated area in North America, and wrote and directed the statewide referendum that protected WA from Hanford being the nation’s High Level Nuclear Waste Dump. He continues to serve as executive director of the Hanford cleanup watchdog group Heart of America NW (hanfordcleanup.org). Working closely with the Yakama nation and other affected Tribes, he runs a full-time summer Tribal Environmental Law externship program.
Christopher Buresh MD, MPH, DTM&H, FAAP, FACEP
Dr. Buresh is an emergency medicine physician and pediatrician. He sees patients at Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital. His focus is on optimizing the care of adult and pediatric populations when they have acute time-sensitive injuries or illnesses. He also has an interest in understanding how policies, social structures, and economic factors impact people’s health, how they seek care, and their outcomes.
Amy Lutz, MAT, PMP
Amy Lutz, is the Public Health Program Specialist in Educational Service District 101 (ESD101) serving seven Eastern Washington Counties. In Amy’s education career she has been a teacher, curriculum director and trainer in the areas of health and physical education. Partnerships with Local Public Health and the Department of Health have allowed Amy to support districts with many public health initiatives including naloxone distribution and opioid response resources. In addition, Amy has worked with a collaborative team of school nurses, school safety directors, behavioral health clinicians and threat assessment experts in assisting school districts in developing their Emergency Operations Plan through an all-hazards approach. With Amy’s experience and certification in Project Management, she uses these skills in developing EOP’s as well as developing table top and full scale training exercises for districts. Amy lives in Spokane, Washington where she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and dogs.
Annie Hetzel, MSN, RN, NCSN
Annie Hetzel, MSN, RN, NCSN is the Washington Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI) School Health Services Consultant. She is a registered nurse with 33 years’ experience in hospital, home care, and school nursing. Prior to joining OSPI, she worked as a School Nurse Corps Administrator for the Puget Sound region for 5 years, providing school nurse support and managing school safety services. In her current role, Annie provides guidance, consultation, and technical assistance on school health issues and manages the Home Hospital program.
Supporting Recovery: Treating Alcohol & Opioid Use Disorders with Naltrexone
10:30am – 11:30am
Myths about will power often keep people from considering medication options in alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). In this presentation we will consider one tool approved to treat both AUD and OUD, naltrexone, which reduces cravings by adjusting the brain’s chemical reward system. But how do we determine who is a good candidate for naltrexone? How effective is it? How can we guide individuals and providers to use it safely? With limited resources, it’s important we consider all the tools in our tool belt, including naltrexone, when preventing relapse and supporting treatment success.
Speakers: Garbo McDermott-Grossman, PharmD and Katie Berenstein, PharmD
Garbo McDermott-Grossman is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and the current pharmacy resident at Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group. Her primary interests include geriatrics and behavioral health. Kelley-Ross has been heavily involved in overdose prevention and has provided group education on opioid overdose for outreach groups throughout the community. Additionally, Kelley-Ross was the first pharmacy in Washington to provide Take-Home Naloxone Kits and continues to be a significant provider of naloxone kits to the community.
Katie Berenstein, PharmD
Katie Berenstein is a clinical pharmacist for Kelley-Ross Pharmacy in Seattle, Washington. At Kelley-Ross she specializes in HIV prevention, international travel medicine, and directs the Kelley-Ross Community Pharmacy Residency Program. Kelley-Ross has been heavily involved in overdose prevention and has provided group education on opioid overdose for outreach groups throughout the community. Additionally, Kelley-Ross was the first pharmacy in Washington to provide Take-Home Naloxone Kits and continues to be a significant provider of naloxone kits to the community.
Emergency Department MOUD and Linkage to Care
12:45pm – 1:45pm
Patients who are seen in the emergency department for a non-fatal opioid overdose are at high risk of death after discharge. Often these patients are not offered medication that can reduce that risk. This session discusses the benefits of starting medications for opioid use disorder during the emergency department visit, the barriers to doing so, and resources available to support a change in practice. Learning objectives: Describe outcomes associated with non-fatal overdose visits without treatment for opioid use disorder, understand impact of emergency department medications for opioid use disorder, identify emergency department treatment gaps, describe reported barriers to treatment provision, recognize the importance of linkage to care, name local resources that support emergency department initiation of medications for opioid use disorder and linkage to care.
Speaker: Liz Wolkin, RN, MSN, CEN, NPD-BC