Anonym / Thursday, March 21, 2019 / Categories: News, Press Releases, Home Page, Substance Use 2019 Hero Helps Community Summit to address Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid use disorder During this year’s Hero Helps Community Summit, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) will be addressed by a panel discussion of local providers. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, MAT is an effective part of long term recovery when used with ongoing counseling and assistance in developing a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Jennifer Byrd, Chief Medical Officer of the Will County Community Health Center, will discuss the health center’s population and treatment for pregnant women with an opioid use disorder; Chris Hassan, President and CEO of Symetria Recovery, will discuss MAT and an “Optimal Comprehensive Treatment Model”; and Ron Vlasaty, CEO of Family Guidance Centers, will talk about MAT for the incarcerated population. “Medication-Assisted Treatment has been proven to be effective in long term recovery when combined with counseling and behavioral therapies,” said Paul Lauridsen, co-chair of the event. “We will hear about the different ways MAT is used in treatment and recovery by these experts.” The event will also include a speaker panel addressing recovery housing options and a resource fair with vendors representing the many aspects related to the epidemic. Dr. Kathleen Burke, director of Substance Use Initiatives for Will County will offer Narcan training. CPDU’s, CME’s and CEU’s are being provided for education, medical, social work professionals, licensed professional counselors, and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery support professionals. For more information and to register for the event, Narcan Training, or Resource Expo, visit the website: www.herohelps.org. For questions, email: herohelpsinfo@gmail.com. Previous Article Manley sponsors bill to expand mental health screenings during school physicals Next Article Governor Pritzker to speak at 2019 Hero Helps Community Summit on May 3 Print 6978 Documents to download 2019 Hero Helps - MAT panel - 3-20-19 final(.docx, 301.63 KB) - 403 download(s)