January 25, 2011 kicks off the 2nd annual Different Faces of Drug Abuse Conference. The two day conference will be held at the Marriott Griffin Gate in Lexington, Kentucky. The program includes several prominent keynote speakers from the state and national levels.
The Different Faces of Drug Abuse is a partnership of the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Kentucky and state drug abuse prevention agencies. The conference is a part of a University of Kentucky "Commonwealth Collaborative" effort including the Health Education through Extension Leadership (HEEL) Program, UK Cooperative Extension, Lexington Mayor's Alliance on Substance Abuse, Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy, and state government.
Jeanne Davis, Extension Regional Program & Development Coordinator and planning committee member, shared, "The Different Faces of Substance Abuse efforts came about from a grassroots need that was communicated through our network of county Extension agents located in every county. As a result, collaborations have been formed at the local and state levels to address substance abuse issues through education, prevention and intervention." The conference this year is focusing on prescription drugs.
Efforts made by The Different Faces of Substance Abuse team have been recognized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In fact, the Office of National Drug Control Policy will have a presence at the conference with special guests and a keynote speaker. After the conference, they will continue dialog with the conference planning committee as results unfold.
The conference's special guest is Philip Angelo, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Keynote speakers include:
- Christopher M. Jones, Pharm.D., MPH, CSPI
LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service
Senior Public Health Advisor
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy - Van Ingram
Executive Director for the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy - Mike Bosse
Assistant Chief with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Division of Police - Dave Hopkins
Office of Inspector General - Dr. Carl Leukefeld
Chair, UK Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine - Kerry Harvey
United States Attorney, Eastern District, KY - Charlotte Wethington
Casey's Law
Registration for this year's conference is closed, and the 250 participants from around Kentucky represent Extension, public education, mental health, pharmacy, the medical community, social work, law enforcement and other agencies. Eight hours of continuing education credit will be awarded to the attendees.
The purpose of The Different Faces of Drug Abuse conference is to develop and strengthen partnerships among state agencies and communities in all geographic districts in Kentucky, while learning strategies for partnership and educational delivery methods that result in minimizing and preventing drug abuse in Kentucky counties.