2023 Kentucky Harm Reduction Summit set for June 14-15
This year's annual Kentucky Harm Reduction Summit will be held on June 14 and 15 at Eastern Kentucky University’s Richmond campus co-hosted by Madison County Health Department and Estill County Health Department. The Summit will feature local, regional, and national speakers and exhibitors, with a focus on harm reduction and disease prevention in the Commonwealth.
This is the first time the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center-sponsored event will be in person. “I’m excited that this year’s Summit will be in person. It allows everyone, past and present, to come together and strengthen partnerships," said Chase Barnes, Harm Reduction Program Manager at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH). "I think it's really great to have the in person interaction to strengthen our unified approach to harm reduction in the Commonwealth.”
“We are a big state, with 120 counties. It's nice to bring everyone together to create camaraderie, knowing we are all fighting the battle to save lives,” added Phoebe Wheeler-Crum, Harm Reduction Public Health Educator at KDPH.
The Summit is geared toward anyone interested in learning about harm reduction and disease prevention. “Attendees will include staff from local health departments across the state that are working in harm reduction, clinicians and support staff who are working on addiction or recovery in mental health and behavioral health settings, and individuals from academic universities,” Barnes said.
“It's such a wide variety, and everybody can learn something,” added Wheeler-Crum.
Each day, the Summit will have opening and closing keynote speakers, including Jody McIntosh from Stigma Shatterproof on Equity and Reduction of Stigma; Devin Oller, Associate Program Director for the University of Kentucky Internal Medicine Residency Program on Motivational Interviewing in Harm Reduction; Edward Kuehne, Deputy Investigative Support Center Manager for the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) on Appalachia HIDTA–Drug Trends in the Commonwealth Review; and Jeremy Byard, co-founder/ Chief Executive Director of Louisville Recovery Community Connection on Compassion Resiliency–Managing Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Trauma. Throughout the day, breakout sessions will focus on different initiatives happening in the Commonwealth, with panel discussions and Q & A opportunities for attendees.
The Summit also will include lunch and learn sessions. “I think it's a unique approach, because it's 20 minutes that speakers will have to share local information about things that are going on in the Kentucky,” said Wheeler-Crum. “For example, we'll have information on a local health department assessment, so attendees will hear preliminary information and results while eating their lunch."
The Summit will have 15 exhibitors and 4 poster presentations which include: Behavioral and Mental Health, Infectious Disease, Treatment and Recovery Services, Maternal Health, and Prevention.
“I am excited to provide an opportunity for everyone to come to learn and communicate in fellowship with all of us," said Wheeler-Crum. "I wish I could attend all the sessions, just because they are so interesting. I hope our participants can walk away with one or two things from this summit that they can use in their own area.”
This accredited event is an excellent opportunity to learn and network with others regarding the state of harm reduction in the Commonwealth. Accreditation information can be found on the CE Central website at https://www.cecentral.com/live/24016/accreditation.
This activity has been planned and implemented by UK HealthCare CECentral, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
For more information on the summit, visit https://www.cecentral.com/live/24016. Any questions for the Summit can be directed to harmreduction@ky.gov. Registration for this event has been filled, but you can join the waitlist at https://ky.readyop.com/fs/4orw/f8dbc1ac.