EDC Conference to Address Opioids and Suicide
On September 27, EDC will convene public and private sector thought leaders to discuss potential solutions for reducing opioid overdoses and suicides, two public health crises with similar risk factors. The town hall event, From Pain to Promise: Addressing Opioids and Suicide in Communities Across America, will be held in Washington, D.C., from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Co-hosted with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, EDC will lead a discussion about these “deaths of despair” and potential solutions for restoring hope and saving lives in communities across the country. The discussion is especially timely given the pending October release of final recommendations of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.
Speakers will engage in group discussions of topics such as health care delivery, lived experience, faith, and federal policy. The event’s speakers follow:
- Dr. Alex Crosby, Senior Medical Advisor on Suicide Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Dr. Arthur C. Evans, CEO, American Psychological Association
- Brooke M. Feldman, Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Advocate
- Patrick Kennedy, The Kennedy Forum and President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis
- Gary Langis, EDC Substance Misuse Prevention Consultant and a voice of lived experience
- Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Jerry Reed, Senior Vice President, EDC and Action Alliance
- Kay Warren, Co-Founder, Saddleback Church
Follow highlights of the conversation on Twitter at #pain2promise and via @EDCtweets and @Action_Alliance.