This 60-minute webinar will highlight overdose disparities in rural and urban populations, with an emphasis on the unique challenges associated with engaging diverse populations in these settings. Presenters from Illinois and Michigan will share data on disparities in their respective states, along with examples of strategies being implemented to engage disparate populations in overdose prevention. This webinar is the second in a series that highlights overdose prevention efforts in HHS Region 5.
Chuck Klevgaard, BSW
Prevention Specialist
Great Lakes PTTC
Chuck Klevgaard delivers training and technical assistance to support substance misuse prevention throughout the Midwest. He has supported communities and health agencies as they adopt evidence-based alcohol, opioid, and other substance misuse programs or policies. Chuck also serves as a prevention manager to the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center.
Chuck delivers training and technical assistance to support substance misuse prevention throughout the Midwest. He has supported communities and health agencies as they adopt evidence-based alcohol, opioid, and other substance misuse programs or policies. He also serves as a prevention manager to the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center.
Chuck earned his BSW from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He is a Certified Senior Prevention Specialist through the Illinois Certification Board, Inc.
Brandon Hool, BS
Harm Reduction Analyst
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Viral Hepatitis Unit
Brandon Hool is a Harm Reduction Analyst with MDHHS, where he works with communities across the state of Michigan to increase the availability of, and access to, syringe service programs (SSPs). Expanding these programs is one of the 6 pillars of Michigan’s Opioid Response Strategy. SSPs are also heavily entwined with the state’s overdose prevention efforts. From October, 2019 – September, 2020, these programs distributed over 29,000 Naloxone kits resulting in over 1,600 reported overdose reversals.
Prior to working with MDHHS, Brandon was with The Grand Rapids Red Project as manager of their recovery programs. These programs were focused on improving health among people who used drugs and included syringe access, overdose prevention and response, hepatitis C screening and recovery coaching.
Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in community development from Central Michigan University in 2018. He also has a robust history of personal drug use experience and has been able to draw on this resource to guide him professionally.
James Kowalsky
Bureau of Prevention Services
Illinois Department of Health Services/SUPR/Bureau of Prevention Services
James Kowalsky is the Project Director for a SAMHSA-funded grant to prevent prescription drug and opioid overdose deaths at the Illinois Department of Human Services, in the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. He serves as the Drug Overdose Prevention Program Coordinator and provides support to Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) providers throughout the state of Illinois.
