May 1, 2024, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this session, we will review evidence-based strategies for substance use prevention addressing alcohol, cannabis, vaping, and prescription drugs that local coalitions and prevention providers can implement in their communities. We will examine interest groups to collaborate and “work with” as we work on the prevention of substance use and discuss the importance of language in reducing stigma and bias related to substance use and the people impacted by the use of substances.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify a minimum of 2 strategies for substance use prevention. (Substances covered include alcohol, cannabis, vaping, and prescription drugs.)
- Identify a minimum of 3 interest groups to collaborate with on evidence-based prevention strategies.
- Describe the importance of language in reducing stigma.
PRESENTERS
Robert Rogers, LADC, CCS, LSW, PS-A, has worked with youth and families throughout Somerset and Kennebec Counties since 1994. Robert works for Kennebec Behavioral Health as Director of Substance Use Prevention and Grant Services. He worked with Somerset Public Health as the Drug-Free Communities Program Coordinator, completing ten years of coalition work. Robert is a certified Prime for Life instructor and the State of Maine certified Responsible Beverage Seller trainer for the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations. Robert also coordinates Respect ME, a Certified Domestic Violence Intervention Program for female survivors of domestic violence who used resistive violence with their intimate partners. Robert was appointed to the state Substance Abuse Service Commission, served by appointment on the state's Maine Opiate Collaborative Prevention and Harm Reduction team, served as Chair for the Maine Prevention Specialists Certification Board, and serves as a Maine representative on the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center’s Advisory Board. Additionally, Robert is on the Board of Directors for AdCare of Maine and Sunset Home, a non-profit assisted living facility for older women in Waterville, Maine. Robert is an Adjunct Professor of Substance Use Prevention at the University of Maine at Farmington. Most recently, Governor Mills appointed Robert to the State of Maine Board of Alcohol & Drug Counselors and serves as the board's Chair. In 2021, Robert was awarded the Neill E. Miner Memorial Prevention Award, and in 2014 was awarded Prevention Provider of the Year by the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse.
