This Listening Session informs how to identify substance use disorder (SUD), changing the conversation about opioid use disorder, and offers insights into prevention strategies and diversion programs that play a crucial role in addressing substance use disorders.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will develop the skills necessary to identify early signs of substance use disorder (SUD) through the application of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) techniques.
- Attendees will gain insights into effective communication strategies and community-based initiatives that contribute to changing public perceptions of opioid use disorder.
- Participants will acquire a comprehensive understanding of diversion programs and the collaboration between healthcare professionals and the judicial system.
Moderator:
Bianca D. McCall, LMFT is a retired professional women’s basketball player. She is an international TED Speaker, and renowned mental health researcher and expert. Bianca is a licensed clinical therapist, with 25 years in Behavioral Health, and 12 years as a Healthcare CEO. In recent years, she has grown significantly in the digital health space, and created a first-of-its-kind social-emotional platform, designed to improve human healthspan.
For more than a decade, her work and research has been dedicated to psychological (mental) injury prevention and the discovery of innovations addressing existential isolation. Bianca is passionate about leading projects which promote ongoing research in mental injury prevention, integration of technologies, data analytics, and the discovery of culturally and linguistically responsive crisis interventions. Bianca represents Nevada, on national committees and namely the Suicide Prevention Resource Center; designated by SAMHSA, and Steering Committee for the U.S. Department of Public Health and is a contributor to the National Strategies for Suicide Prevention in areas of Clinical Education, Provider Standards, and Technology. Bianca is a subject matter expert, a curriculum developer, and instructor in higher education with the Centers for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT), Region 9, housed at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Panelists:
Angel Lash, LADC, CPC-Intern, Coordinator, Nevada 8th Judicial District Court
Angel Lash is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor and Certified Professional Counselor Intern in the state of Nevada. Angel has worked in the substance abuse and behavioral health field for over a decade. She currently works under the 8th District Court umbrella as a Specialty Court Specialty coordinating care Law Enforcement Intervention for Mental Health Addiction Diversion Program (LIMA Diversion Program) a partnership between LVMPD and the 8th Judicial District Court Program. The LIMA Diversion Program provides a voluntary pathway to recovery for individuals suffering from substance abuse issues, homelessness, and/or mental health issues. The LIMA Diversion Program helps move individuals away from the justice system without entering and works to address the individuals, addiction, and mental health challenges by connecting them to community partners to address their layers of needs. Angel and the LIMA Diversion Program has received acknowledgements from the community. In 2021 Angel Lash received an award from a local non-profit as a Community Shining Star and LVMPD Behavioral Health Unit recognized Angel’s exceptional dedication to the success of the LIMA Program. In 2022, Angel and the LIMA Program were nominated for The Is No Hero in Heroin’s community awards for several categories including, Hero of the Year, Boots on the Ground, and Crushing Stigma & Silos, and Angel won TINHIH’s Boots on the Ground Award. The LIMA Diversion Program was nominated again the following year in 2023 for the Crushing Stigma and Silos Award. In 2023, Angel Lash won Public Health Leader of the Year by Nevada’s Public Health Association.
Christina Boyd, LSCSW, LCAC, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
Christina is an Associate Professor of Practice for the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare and is the Workforce Development Coordinator, for the Center for Community Engagement and Collaboration. She is a master trainer for the ATTC network and serves as a content expert on prevention with the Opioid Response Network State Targeted Response. Christina has worked in several behavioral health settings in rural areas of the country over the last 27 years. She has participated in numerous grant projects focused on integration of behavioral health and prevention of substance use disorders. She works towards improving the delivery of integrated services in our systems of care. She resides in western Kansas and is passionate about the equity of health resources in rural areas as she continues to pursue her mission of helping people find their happy.
Jillian Anderson, MA, MFT, LADC, PMH-C, Perinatal Mental Health Program Coordinator, Quest Counseling
Sergeant Andrew Sherbondy, Washoe County Department of Alternative Sentencing
Continuing Education Units: 1.5 CEUs
This training is approved for continuing education by the boards listed here. It is also approved by the Nevada Certification Board for PRSS and PRSS-S.
Funding for this activity was made possible in whole or in part by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Director’s Office through the Fund for a Resilient Nevada, established in Nevada Revised Statutes 433.712 through 433.744. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in our courses are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence or its funders.