Resources
Session presentation files are linked in the agenda below with corresponding breakout session titles, as available.
Wednesday, June 7
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
- Check-In & Registration Opens
- Continental Breakfast
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Grand Ballroom
- Welcome – NC Attorney General Josh Stein
- Keynote Address – Rev. Michelle Mathis
12:00 – 1:15 p.m. | Grand Ballroom
- Lunch
12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2
- Documentary Screening – Feel free to bring your lunch into the screening!
- Screening of the Governor’s Institute Documentary: Harm Reduction in North Carolina
The Governor’s Institute is committed to educating North Carolinians on harm reduction efforts as they relate to substance use disorder. Our documentary – Harm Reduction in North Carolina – highlights the critical work being done in the Tar Heel state to reduce the harm and stigma surrounding substance use. The work is – literally – saving lives and there are many ways we all can apply some of the strategies in our everyday lives. Making this documentary wouldn’t have been possible without help from our partners, NCDHHS and SAMHSA, and all the organizations and people in the film who are doing the work throughout North Carolina. Please join us in getting the word out and celebrating all the great work being done in harm reduction around the state.
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
Choose to attend one of the following session options.
- Block 1 Breakout Sessions
- FAQs: Getting to know the NC Opioid Settlements and Memorandum of Agreement
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A1-2NC OPIOID SETTLEMENTS
This session will provide an overview of the NC Opioid Settlements and the Memorandum of Agreement between the State of North Carolina and Local Governments on Proceeds Relating to the Settlement of Opioid Litigation (NC MOA). Participants will also receive answers to frequently asked questions about the NC Opioid Settlements.
– Steve Mange, NC Department of Justice
– Nidhi Sachdeva, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
- Dispelling Dangerous Myths about Drugs
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. | Meeting Room 1-2PREVENTION / EARLY INTERVENTION
Misinformation and myths about substances and substance use fuel stigmas and are foundations of criminalization. Accessible, evidence-based drug information and education lead to human-centered drug policy and programs, end criminalization, and lead to drug user liberation.
– Dr. Jennifer Carroll, NC State University
– Caitlyn Phillips, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
- Importance and Innovation: Community Naloxone Distribution to Reduce Overdoses
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2HARM REDUCTION
This session will provide a deeper understanding of the benefits of low-barrier community naloxone distribution and make the case for naloxone vending machines as an important and useful tool in the jail setting. Participants will learn about machine purchase and placement, filling the machine, potential challenges, and the importance of public safety and public health partnerships to maintain a successful program.
– Amanda Clark, Guilford County Public Health
– Melissa Larson, Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International
– Alyssa Kitlas, NC Department of Health and Human Services
– Tony V. Locklear, Hoke County Health Department
- Caring for Pregnant People Who Use Drugs and Addressing Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS)
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A3TREATMENT
This session will explore the best practices for caring for pregnant people who use drugs and how to address neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS).
– Christine Dunn, UNC School of Medicine Psychiatry
– Dr. Hendree Jones, UNC Horizons
– Melinda Ramage, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC)
– Nicole Ross, Behavioral Health Group Recovery
- Housing Is Prevention and Healthcare: Low Barrier Models and Supports
1:15 – 2:15 p.m. | Meeting Room 3-4RECOVERY
This session will define and discuss evidence-based, low-barrier models of housing and supports, and barriers to housing experienced by people who use drugs or may be justice-involved. Speakers will present NC program examples of low-barrier housing and means by which collaborative case management and low-threshold care can better support the physiological needs of people who use drugs.
– Dave Crispell, Jubilee Home
– Emilia Sutton, The Technical Assistance Collaborative
- FAQs: Getting to know the NC Opioid Settlements and Memorandum of Agreement
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
- Transition / Networking / Break
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Choose to attend one of the following session options.
- Block 2 Breakout Sessions
- NC MOA Reporting Requirements: Annual Impact Reports
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A1-2NC OPIOID SETTLEMENTS
This session will outline the NC reporting requirements associated with Annual Impact Reports. Audience members will also preview a strategy-specific guide sheet that will outline possible process, quality, and outcome measures.
– Dr. Jill Rushing, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
- Trauma-Informed Systems of Care
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A3 |PREVENTION / EARLY INTERVENTION
This session will present ways to create trauma-informed systems of care to better prevent and respond to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
– Deena Fulton, D. Fulton Consulting
- Come for Syringes, Stay for Hope: NC Syringe Services Programs
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2HARM REDUCTION
Syringe service programs are a way to reach people who otherwise might be forgotten in the community. In this session, participants will learn about potential barriers to establishing harm reduction services in some NC communities. Speakers will discuss ways to build partnerships with community-based organizations to provide vital and cost-saving services. The session will also highlight the role of peer support in decision-making and successful program delivery.
– Diannee Carden Glenn, eKim for Change
– Abigail Bradley, Beaufort County Health Department
– Wendy Growcock, Stanly County Health Department
– Alyssa Kitlas, NC Department of Health and Human Services
– Voni Simpson, NC Harm Reduction Coalition
- Supporting People with Lived Expertise/Experience in Our Workplaces
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Meeting Room 3-4HARM REDUCTION
This session will highlight the importance of supporting people with lived experience in the workplace and will examine policies and procedures that promote health and wellness. People with lived experience are subject matter experts with invaluable knowledge and insight. Hiring and supporting these individuals is highly recommended and requires intentionality around hiring practices, employee accommodations, and more.
– Ashley Wurth, NC DHHS Division of Public Health Injury and Violence Prevention Branch
– Tyler Yates, NC DHHS Division of Public Health Injury and Violence Prevention Branch
- Meeting People Where They Are: Innovating Pathways to MOUD Access in Hospital and Community Settings
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Meeting Room 1-2TREATMENT
By meeting people where they are, diagnosing and offering treatment to patients with opioid use disorder in the hospital and community settings with evidence-based treatments is critical to addressing our overdose epidemic. In this session, speakers will outline the evidence behind opioid use disorder treatment options and discuss barriers to and challenges with instituting programs to support MOUD use in hospitals and community settings.
– Dr. Noel Ivey, Duke University Health System
– Dr. Robyn Jordan, UNC Psychiatry
- NC MOA Reporting Requirements: Annual Impact Reports
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
- Transition / Networking / Break
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Choose to attend one of the following session options.
- Block 3 Breakout Sessions
- NC MOA Reporting Requirements: Spending Authorizations and Annual Financial Reports
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A1-2NC OPIOID SETTLEMENTS
This session will outline the NC reporting requirements for Spending Authorizations and Financial Reports. Participants will be provided with an outline of the information that is collected and will learn how to enter information into CORE-NC.
– Dr. Mike Dolan Fliss, CORE-NC, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
– Katherine Gora Combs, CORE-NC, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
- Digging into Root Causes: Social and Economic Determinants to the Opioid Overdose Crisis
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A3PREVENTION / EARLY INTERVENTION
The session will explore the social and economic determinants of health and how root causes impact the overdose crisis.
– Dr. Nab Dasgupta, UNC Injury Prevention Research Center
– April Bragg, Dogwood Health Trust
- Post-Overdose Response Teams and Innovative EMS Partnerships
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2HARM REDUCTION
This session will explore the mechanics of Post-Overdose Response Teams (PORTs), the role of Emergency Medical Services, and how PORTs connect participants to programs and services like community paramedicine, Hepatitis C testing and treatment, and Medication-Assisted Treatment. Speakers will also discuss opportunities for engaging peer support and community health workers, as well as naloxone leave-behind practices.
– Jim Albright, Guilford County Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
– Dr. Melissa Floyd-Pickard, LCSW, UNC-Greensboro/Guilford County Stopping the Overdose Problem (GCSTOP)
- Gold Standard of Care: Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in Opioid Treatment Programs
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Meeting Room 1-2TREATMENT
This session will discuss the strongest medical evidenced-based treatments for Opioid Use Disorder – methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone – and address high-level questions, including: Comparatively, what are the benefits and risks? How do experts guide patients? What are some of the restrictive regulations? How are they usually funded? Why might they be the best bang for our buck?
– Dr. Jana Burson, North Wilksboro Comprehensive Treatment Center
– Dr. Eric Morse, Morse Clinic
- Reentry: Welcoming our Loved Ones Home
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Meeting Room 3-4RECOVERY
This session will explore ways to support justice-involved people and military veterans re-entering our communities from carceral settings or from substance use treatment.
– Charles Gillstrap
– Tommy Green, FIT Program of Orange County
– Lucas Vrbsky, Durham Veterans Affairs
- NC MOA Reporting Requirements: Spending Authorizations and Annual Financial Reports
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Grand Ballroom
- Reception
5:15 – 6:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2
- Screening of the Governor’s Institute Documentary: Harm Reduction in North Carolina
The Governor’s Institute is committed to educating North Carolinians on harm reduction efforts as they relate to substance use disorder. Our documentary – Harm Reduction in North Carolina – highlights the critical work being done in the Tar Heel state to reduce the harm and stigma surrounding substance use. The work is – literally – saving lives and there are many ways we all can apply some of the strategies in our everyday lives. Making this documentary wouldn’t have been possible without help from our partners, NCDHHS and SAMHSA, and all the organizations and people in the film who are doing the work throughout North Carolina. Please join us in getting the word out and celebrating all the great work being done in harm reduction around the state.
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Junior Ballroom B+C
- The Monti: Creating Community through Storytelling
Centering lived experience is one of the key themes of this year’s NC Summit on Reducing Overdose and is core to the work we do together across our NC counties to respond to the overdose crisis. The NCACC and The Monti, a non-profit dedicated to the power of storytelling, will host a special evening event that builds community through storytelling. All Summit attendees are encouraged to attend this special event after the evening reception.
Thursday, June 8
7:00 – 8:00 a.m. | Board Room 2
- SMART Recovery Meeting
SMART Recovery, grounded in cognitive behavioral and motivational enhancement concepts, offers a self-empowering secular approach to mutual support for overcoming any problematic or addictive behavior. In this meeting, we will model how a typical SMART Recovery meeting flows. MAT-friendly and stigma-free. Join us!
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
- Check-In & Registration Opens
- Full Breakfast Buffet
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Grand Ballroom
- Welcome – NCDHHS Chief Deputy Secretary Mark Benton
- Keynote Address – Dr. Stephen Loyd
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
- Transition / Networking / Break
10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Choose to attend one of the following session options.
- Block 4 Breakout Sessions
- Collaborative Strategic Planning: Critical Conversations and Community Engagement
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Junior Ballroom A1-2NC OPIOID SETTLEMENTS
This practical session will review community engagement activities that support Collaborative Strategic Planning as outlined in the NC MOA; and will feature real-life strategies for confronting and working through, rather than avoiding, some of the tough challenges that program teams face.
– Elizabeth Brewington, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
– Dr. Kathy Coville, NC Institute of Medicine
– Dr. Jennifer Greene, Cumberland County Public Health
– Jennifer Layton, Randolph County Public Health
- Barbecue and Sweet Tea: Engaging Law Enforcement to Promote Successful Harm Reduction Programs, and Utilizing Sequential Intercept Modeling
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2PREVENTION / EARLY INTERVENTION
This session will highlight the changing roles of law enforcement within the opioid crisis and how harm reduction-based organizations can engage with first responders to create successful programs. Participants will also learn how data from the Sequential Intercept Model can help improve outcomes for people with substance use disorders who encounter the criminal legal system.
– Dr. Marisa Cornell, Mediation and Restorative Justice Center
– Mollie Bolick, Homestead Recovery Center
– Donnie Varnell, Dare County Sheriff’s Office
- Monitoring the Drug Supply to Help Reduce Harms
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Meeting Room 3-4HARM REDUCTION
This session will look at the drug-checking service that monitors the drug supply in North Carolina and provides information back to people so they can make better decisions about their health. Speakers will describe emerging trends in drug markets, and will differentiate between trends of concern and simple hype. Topics will include fentanyl in methamphetamine and cocaine, xylazine, psychedelics, fake pills, and more.
– Dr. Nab Dasgupta, UNC Injury Prevention Center
– Colin Miller, UNC Injury Prevention Center
- Boots on the Ground: Meeting People Where They Are to Deliver Low-Barrier Care
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Meeting Room 1-2TREATMENT
By providing medications to treat opioid use disorder in an outreach setting so that individuals may receive care where they are – medically, emotionally and geographically – EMS agencies in rural North Carolina are both reducing overdoses and increasing access to care and recovery. These innovative efforts not only improve patient outcomes and increase community morale, but also reduce EMS call volume and emergency department overcrowding. This session will also include a brief discussion about providing Hepatitis C treatment and cure through similar outreach initiatives.
– Mike Campbell, Stanly County EMS
– Tim Nolan, High Country Community Health and Olive Branch Ministry
– Jason Powell, Caldwell County EMS
- Addressing Our Collective Grief and Helping the Healers
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. | Junior Ballroom B+CRECOVERY
This session will focus on supporting those who are doing the work of preventing and treating overdose and opioid use. Speakers will discuss burnout, and ways to address collective grief and inspire healing.
– Tori Carrice, NC Center for Resiliency
– Rev. Sarah Howell Miller, Green Street Church; Faith in Harm Reduction
- Collaborative Strategic Planning: Critical Conversations and Community Engagement
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Grand Ballroom
- Lunch
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2
- Documentary Screening – Feel free to bring your lunch into the screening!
- Screening of the Governor’s Institute Documentary: Harm Reduction in North Carolina
The Governor’s Institute is committed to educating North Carolinians on harm reduction efforts as they relate to substance use disorder. Our documentary – Harm Reduction in North Carolina – highlights the critical work being done in the Tar Heel state to reduce the harm and stigma surrounding substance use. The work is – literally – saving lives and there are many ways we all can apply some of the strategies in our everyday lives. Making this documentary wouldn’t have been possible without help from our partners, NCDHHS and SAMHSA, and all the organizations and people in the film who are doing the work throughout North Carolina. Please join us in getting the word out and celebrating all the great work being done in harm reduction around the state.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Choose to attend one of the following session options.
- Block 5 Breakout Sessions
- Allocating NC Opioid Settlement Funds through RFAs/RFPs and Contracts
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom A1-2NC OPIOID SETTLEMENTS
This session will highlight how local governments may use Requests for Applications/Requests for Proposals (RFAs/RFPs) to select entities to receive settlement funds that support eligible opioid abatement strategies. This session will also detail key considerations for developing the RFA/RFP process. Participants will gain an understanding of the tools that NC Association of County Commissioners has developed to assist local governments with allocation of Opioid Settlement funds, including an RFA Guide and sample contracts.
– Leia Gearhart, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
– Samantha Jamison, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
– Erick Mendez, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
– Alex Norwood, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
- Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): A Multi-Site Evaluation of North Carolina LEAD Programs
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom D1-2PREVENTION / EARLY INTERVENTION
LEAD programs aim to connect community members who use drugs with supports and services in lieu of arrest for low-level unlawful conduct. This session will showcase a three-year, multi-site evaluation of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) programs in North Carolina. Speakers will also present highlights from their outcomes and process evaluations, discuss the role of peer support, and highlight law enforcement leadership in the programs.
– Allison Gilbert, Duke University
– Melissia Larson, Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
– Karen Lowe, Gaston and Iredell LEAD
– Reah Siegel, Duke University
– Lt. Shelia Washington, Fayetteville Police Department Lieutenant
– Angie Weis Gammell, Duke University
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in NC Jails
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Meeting Room 1-2TREATMENT
Compared to the general population in North Carolina, people re-entering society are 50 times more likely to die during their first 14 days of being released from incarceration. This session will explore programs in NC county jails that implement medication for opioid use disorder. Participants will gain a greater understanding of substance use disorder services being provided in the Durham County Detention Center, as well as other areas across our state.
– Dr. Evan Ashkin, UNC Family Medicine
– Major Elijah Bazemore, Retired Durham County Detention Center, Vital Strategies
– Tremaine Sawyer, Durham County Detention Center
- Recovery Friendly NC: A Recovery to Work Initiative
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Meeting Room 3-4RECOVERY
This session will explore how we can create recovery-friendly work environments and support the workforce.
– Devin Lyall, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc.
– Jeff Walker, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Inc.
- Collegiate Recovery: A Continuum Connector
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Junior Ballroom B+CRECOVERY
Collegiate Recovery has been around for about half a century and has seen exponential growth during the past decade. With colleges and universities seeing increased acuity in substance use among student populations, Collegiate Recovery has entered the conversation to provide a unique response to support students already in sustained recovery while facilitating avenues of prevention and early intervention.
– Dr. Dominiquie Clemmons-James, East Carolina University
– Jarmichael Harris, Addiction Professionals of NC
- Allocating NC Opioid Settlement Funds through RFAs/RFPs and Contracts
2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
- Transition / Networking / Break
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. | Grand Ballroom
- A Call to Action and Closing Remarks
3:15 p.m.
- Adjourn