New England PTTC

Date: January 21, 2025 Format: Webinar Time: 1:30 PM—2:30 PM EST Cost: FREE ABOUT THE LEARNING SESSION Middle and high-school years pose a risk for youth as they make decisions around substance use. Research has shown that most adults that have a substance use disorder began using substances during their teen and young adult years making it important to intervene early and where possible prevent substance use. In 2023, according to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS), 32 percent of high school youth reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetime, while 19 percent indicated using marijuana within 30 days of the survey.  Furthermore, 27 percent of youth report consuming their first alcoholic drink before the age of 13. Additionally, 36 percent of those that consumed alcohol in the past 30 days reported engaging in risky alcohol use, defined as consuming at least five alcoholic drinks on one occasion.  This data shows that youth are using/misusing alcohol and drugs.  The Student Intervention Reintegration Program (SIRP) is for indicated populations who have demonstrated use with alcohol and/or drugs helps in the reduction of use/misuse and changes attitudes, behaviors and perception of risk and harm around substances. In this training, you will learn about the benefits of the Student Intervention Reintegration Program, its successes, and how this program can be used in collaboration with screening brief intervention and referral to treatment. Participants will learn about the evidence-based curriculum used in the SIRP program, Prime for Life. You'll leave this training with a better understanding of this innovative program and if it will be a good fit for you and your practice. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Review the Student Intervention Reintegration Program and how to refer patients to it. Understand the foundations of the Prime for Life Curriculum. Learn how the Student Intervention Reintegration Program can be used in collaboration with Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment. THE PRESENTER: Kim Parent, PS-A Kim Parent is a Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator at AdCare Educational Institute of Maine.  She is a graduate of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree with an advanced major in Political Science.  Kim also graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent with a Bachelors of University Studies Degree in Elementary Education.  Kim holds a teacher’s certification from the State of Maine and is an Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist (PS-A).  Kim Parent is the former Project Lead for the Power of Prevention Program at Cary Medical Center and has worked in prevention for the past sixteen years.  Kim has been a certified Prime for Life Instructor for the past nine years, a train the trainer for the Prime for Life Universal Program and certified TIPS and Responsible Beverage Server/Seller Trainer, Ethics in Prevention Trainer, Advanced Ethics in Prevention Trainer and SAPTS Trainer.  Kim presented at the New England School of Addiction and Prevention Studies in June of 2024 and the National Prevention Network Conference in August of 2024.  Kim was awarded the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the Drug Enforcement Administration 2021 Community Drug Prevention Award for the Power of Prevention Coalition, the Melanie Dansko Community Service Award, Gold Level Presidential Service Award and Lifetime Presidential Service Award.  Kim resides in Augusta, Maine.   About the webinar: This webinar is hosted by the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center, a program funded through cooperative agreement from SAMHSA. Participants who complete the webinar will receive a certificate of completion for 1 contact hour (no partial credit).

Date: January 23 & 30, 2025 Format: Webinar Time: 11:00 AM—12:30 PM EST Cost: FREE ABOUT THE LEARNING SESSION Both sessions will be recorded. Have you noticed that artificial intelligence (AI) is suddenly everywhere you look? From Chat GPT, to life-like images, to predictive text, there are always going to be new sides to AI; new elements, new pitfalls we didn't see, and new challenges. As preventionists, AI can make our jobs easier, increase capacity, and help us get the job done quicker so we can spend more of our working time connecting with the community. While considering plusses and pitfalls, we can use the ethical decision-making process when working with AI even as it changes quickly to be sure we are staying attuned to our values. Maybe you have been using AI in your work for years, or perhaps you are wary of the whole concept. In this two-part session, we will discuss what AI is, some practical applications, and dive into the ethical decision-making process as it relates to using it. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand some basics of AI that are assessable to the workforce Compare the potential benefits and potential pitfalls of using AI in substance misuse prevention work Consider the Ethical Decision-Making Process when making choices about AI use in your work Check with your local IC&RC credentialing board to determine if this 3 hour course will meet the requirements for ethics training hours needed for recertification. Speakers: Sandra Del Sesto Marissa Carlson Emily Prud’hommeaux Albert Gay Sarah Harlow About the webinar: This webinar was developed to address a need identified in HHS Region 1 (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI) to provide substance misuse prevention professionals with tools for substance misuse prevention. This webinar is hosted through the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center, a program funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA), SAMHSA Cooperative Agreement #1H79SP084326-01.

The New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center created this document as part of a Technical Assistance Request to support the Maine Recovery Council's Prevention Ad Hoc Subcommittee in their strategic planning process to identify gaps in prevention funding and opioid use prevention services and create strategy funding recommendations. This document shows how the subcommittee identified substance misuse prevention funding priorities for the Opioid Settlement Dollars through that strategic planning process. This document shows the workplan and outcomes of this process for the workgroup itself to reflect back on in future planning and also offers a process guide for other entities (municipalities, states, regions, etc.) who want an example of a robust process to examine the prevention landscape in other places, demonstrate service gaps, and prioritize funding for opioid use/misuse prevention using opioid settlement dollars.   The Maine Recovery Council: The Maine Recovery Council was established pursuant to the Maine State Subdivision Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) and Agreement Regarding Use of Settlement Funds and 5 M.R.S.A. §203-C. The purpose of the Council is to direct the disbursement of funds within the Maine Recovery Fund for specific uses throughout the state to address the opioid crisis in Maine. Examples of approved uses are reversing overdoses through naloxone or other FDA-approved drugs, expanding the availability of medication-assisted treatment for Mainers struggling with opioid use disorder, helping Mainers avoid opioid use through evidence-based prevention programs, and providing additional special education resources to Maine school administrative units. The Council comprises 15 members appointed by the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Attorney General, and certain counties, cities, and towns in Maine.   All council meetings are held in person unless otherwise specified on the notice and agenda. Council meetings are open to the public, and members of the public are permitted to attend to observe but not participate unless otherwise specified on the notice and agenda. Members of the public may also observe by a remote video link provided in each agenda.   Process for Prevention Workgroup prioritizing: The New England PTTC worked with the Maine Recovery Council (MRC) to help process the priorities for funding prevention strategies in Maine for the 2024-2025 fiscal years. The New England PTTC proposed supporting a strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) planning process, which was accepted by the Maine Recovery Council and spearheaded by the MRC Prevention Seat, Liz Blackwell-Moore. The MRC had identified Prevention as a priority in their MOU with the Maine Office of the Attorney General, responsible for the stewardship of the money from the state to communities. These strategy recommendations were presented to the Council in October 2024,  and were accepted by the Council in November 2024.

Against the Odds - Problem Gambling Graphic Medicine, is a new tool to help foster prevention-focused conversations with young people about problem gambling. Tips for talking & lesson plans are included. Technical assistance is available. A graphic medicine uses the format of a graphic novel to communicate health information. Evidence shows that the visuals combined with the information can help with memory of important information, as well as understanding and comprehension. We worked with SOPO Unite in South Portland, Maine, to create this student-lead story about five friends, while struggling with the normal ups and downs of life as a teenager in small-town New England, now find themselves with a bigger problem on their claws...I mean, hands! The plastics factory on the outskirts of town had a chemical leak, and it's really killed the vibes. Now these friends have to launch an epic grass-roots community clean up, before the vibes kill them! Throughout the story, we see one friend, Luke, struggle with his gambling habits, and another friend, Bishop, struggle with the impacts of the environmental crisis on his well-being. Still, those obvious struggles aren't the only ones. Stay until the end to catch how the students find a connection as medicine, and check out the accompanying Implementation guide to see all the ways the story can be a tool for you to talk to young people about problem gambling. Preview and download (PDF) Preview (in English) - available in January Preview (in Portuguese) -  coming in the Spring 2025 Preview (in Spanish) - coming in the Spring 2025   Printed copy or electronic copy (PDF format) for download, available in January 2025. Please complete the Request Form.   *The New England PTTC is only able to mail printed copies to those working/living in HHS Region 1 (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI). If you request a copy working/living outside of HHS Region 1, we'll send you an electronic copy (PDF format) to download. Please complete the Request Form.   For Facilitators    Download the Facilitators Implementation Guide. Download the Guide (full color) - available in January Download the Guide (grayscale) - available in January   Through our cooperative agreement with SAMHSA and our Agility Grant through the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), all our resources are free to the public.   Questions? Contact Sarah Harlow, Co-Director, New England PTTC: [email protected]   About this resource: This resource was developed to address a need identified in HHS Region 1 (ME, NH, VT, MA, CT, RI) to provide substance misuse prevention professionals with tools for substance misuse prevention and gambling prevention. This resource is developed through the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA), SAMHSA Cooperative Agreement #5H79SP081020-03.  This resource was made possible through a partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) through the-award-of a one-year Agility Grant. For more information on the Agility Grant through NCPG, please visit: https://www.ncpgambling.org/problem-gambling/agility-grants/.    

The latest edition of our bi-monthly newsletter is available. This month’s edition features Prevention Stories, Announcing the upcoming launch of our graphic medicine, Against the Odds - Request a copy now, Stories of Substance Misuse Prevention and Resilience, October is Substance Use Prevention Month and other awareness campaigns for October/November, and regionally and nationally developed events and tools to support and grow the prevention workforce in New England. View the newsletter.