Sept. 5 continuing education event focuses on opioid recovery, solutions in NE Ky.; features Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland

The upcoming Northeast Kentucky Area Health Education Center continuing education event will feature Sam Quinones, author of the book Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic, which chronicles the rise of prescription abuse and subsequent addiction across the nation.

The Sept. 5 event, called "Recovery and Solutions: The Next Chapter in Northeast Kentucky's Opioid Epidemic," will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Morehead Conference Center. And while it is targeted toward physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other interested health care professionals, journalists are also welcome. Dinner will be provided to attendees, but registration is required. Click here to register.

Quinones will talk about the roles doctors and pharmaceutical companies have played in the national opioid epidemic and how the evolving marketing techniques of heroin dealers have contributed to this national crisis.

The co-founders of Voices of Hope, Alex Elswick and Shelley Elswick, will also host a session called "Voices of Hope: Personal Experiences of the Opioid Crisis." Voices of Hope is a nonprofit organization that offers recovery support to people with substance use disorders. This session will discuss the complex nature of substance use disorders and stigma, as well as the importance of focusing on recovery rather than the pathology of addiction.

A third session, titled, "Unmet Treatment Needs of Opioid Use Disorder: The Scope of the Problem and a Way Forward," will focus on the medical consequences of untreated opioid use disorder, and delve into the differences between primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. This session will be led by Dr. Michelle Lofwall, associate professor, Department of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.

Ten attendees will be randomly selected to receive a copy of Dreamland, and time has been allotted at the end of the event for a book signing by Quinones.

For more information about the continuing education requirements or accreditation, contact KaSandra Hensley at kasandra.hensley@neahec.org or call 606-783-6830.