2019: Human Services Programs and the Opioid Crisis

Annual Poverty Research and Policy Forum

September 17, 2019

Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol
550 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.

Convened by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

Supported by the Office of Human Services Policy, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Overview

The current opioid epidemic has devastated families and communities, and shattered lives. While the human toll of the opioid crisis is well established, the epidemic has also had adverse effects on the goals of human services programs, such as family stability, child well-being, and self-sufficiency. Human services programs provide essential services to families and individuals who are struggling with opioid and other substance use disorders.

The Forum will focus on how the opioid epidemic has impacted the delivery of human services, and what role those services can play in mitigating the negative effects of the crisis on individuals, families, and communities, with three objectives:

  1. To understand how the opioid crisis is hindering human services programs in meeting their objectives.
  2. To understand how human services programs can facilitate successful treatment and recovery for individuals with opioid use disorder.
  3. To understand how human services programs can address the effects of the opioid crisis on their objectives.

The Forum will bring together stakeholders from the researcher, practitioner, and policy making communities, including those who develop policy for, and administer, a wide range of human services programs.  We also will hear from experts in substance use disorder treatment. Evidence-based programs as well as innovative approaches will be discussed, along with the latest research findings on the crisis.

Preconference Webinar: Opiods 101

Agenda

7:45 – 8:30 Registration
8:30 – 8:35 Welcome and Overview
Lawrence Berger, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Brenda Destro and Jennifer Burnszynski, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
8:35 – 8:45 Opening Remarks
Admiral Brett Giroir, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health and Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Opioid Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
8:45 – 9:15 Keynote: Current State of the Opioid Crisis
Dr. Stephen Patrick, Vanderbilt University
9:15 –10:30 Panel 1: How the opioid crisis is hindering human services programs in meeting their objectives
Moderator: Dr. Tisha Wiley, National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presenters
:
Pamela Baston, JBS International
Dr. Randi Walters and Brandi Stocksdale, Baltimore City Department of Social Services
Dr. Patricia Strach and Dr. Elizabeth Perez-Chiques, Rockefeller Institute of Government
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 –12:00 Panel 2: How human services programs can support successful treatment and recovery for individuals with opioid use disorder
Moderator: Ben O’Dell, Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presenters
:
Deborah Taylor Tate, Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, and National Opioid Task Force
Kim Hall, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Barbara Ramlow, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 1:30 Informal Networking
1:30 – 2:45
Breakout Sessions by Topic: How human services programs can address the effects of the opioid crisis on their objectives
Breakout A: Child Welfare
Moderator: Dr. Melinda Baldwin, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presenter
: Ken DeCerchio, Children and Family Futures
Handout: In-Depth Technical Assistance for Infants with Prenatal Substance Exposure and their Families (PDF File)
Handout: A Training & Technical Assistance Resource Guide (PDF File)
Breakout B: Child Support, TANF, SNAP, Employment and Training, WIOA and other employment programs
Moderator: Lauren Antelo, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presenter
: Tim Robinson, Addiction Recovery Care, LLC [additional slides]
Breakout C: Early Care and Education Programs, Home Visiting
Moderator:  Jennifer Tschantz, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education
Presenter:
Dr. Sangeeta Parikshak, Office of Head Start, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Breakout D: Youth
Moderator: Juliet Bui, Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services
Presenter
: Dr. Sarah Bagley, Boston Medical Center
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 4:15 Panel 3:  Developing an Agenda for Policy, Practice and Research
Moderator: Robin Ghertner, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presenters
:
Lynn Johnson, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Dr. Chris Jones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Joe Jones, Center for Urban Families
Brent Orrell, American Enterprise Institute
Dr. Shannon Monnat, Syracuse University
4:15 – 4:30 Wrap-up
Lawrence Berger, University of Wisconsin–Madison
4:30 Adjourn