Breakout Sessions
TUESDAY | APRIL 30
9:45AM-11:00AM
11:15AM-12:30PM
2:00PM-3:15PM
This session will explore how the Mount Pleasant Police Department and a South Carolina nonprofit, WakeUp Carolina, have partnered with the use of a shared database called the Critical Incident Management System to share data in real time. This approach is allowing for immediate post-incident peer support follow-up, with connections to resources and safe spaces, and in return, has saved lives.
Speakers:
Pamela Kelley, MPA
Executive Director
Kelley Research Associates
Captain Christopher Rosier
Mount Pleasant Police Department
Nanci Steadman Shipman
Founder/Executive Director
WakeUp Carolina
Using criteria from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) as a framework, this session will review the components of evidence-based approaches to diagnosing and treating SUDs. Audience participants will be equipped with tools to help meet clinical needs by identifying the most appropriate levels of care for patients presenting with an SUD. Further, this session will explore best practices in the delivery of treatment, including medications and other supports to help patients achieve sustained wellness.
Speaker:
John Emmel, MD
Medical Director
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
This session will focus on developing a creative, innovative and collaborative community approach to preventing substance misuse before it begins. During the presentation, Ms. Helou-Allen will share the philosophies of iRIZE, the evidence-informed prevention initiative she developed and deployed in her community of Greenville, S.C. iRIZE is RIZE Prevention’s comprehensive, school-based drug prevention program for middle school students. The program focuses on empowering teens to resist drug use and make healthy life choices. iRIZE’s evidence-informed approach provides a critical supplement to schools’ alcohol, tobacco, and other drug curricular education requirement and provides families access to critical support resources. The program's goal is to motivate population normative change toward abstention of drug use among middle school students. Attendees will also dive into the creation of the POWER Collective, the innovative community strategy being implemented in Greenville County thanks to grand funding from the S.C. Opioid Recovery Fund Board.
Speaker:
Martine Helou-Allen
Executive Director
RIZE Prevention Inc.
This session will provide an overview of a new, multi-disciplinary overdose response approach in Greenville, S.C. The program captures real-time overdoses (fatal and non-fatal) and works to identify those at the highest risk of a repeat overdose based on the data collected. The team coordinates efforts to send out the post-overdose support teams, and Greenville County Community Paramedics and Greenville City Fire Post-Overdose coordinators to provide interventions before the next overdose occurs. Data is collected to inform practice and outreach regarding substance use trends, patterns, areas for community education, and harm risk reduction based on identified geographic areas where the overdoses are happening. This approach also considers missed opportunities for cross system collaboration and integration of the Handle With Care Program for those children who have experienced trauma due to parental/caregiver substance use/overdose. The presentation will discuss lessons learned after fatality reviews as well as how to collaborate at the community level to get systems in place before the next fatal overdose.
Speakers:
Charles Cunningham Jr.
Forensic Intelligence Investigator
Greenville County Sheriff's Office
Michelle Cunningham, RNC-MNN, PCE, BSN
Interagency Liaison
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services - SC Department of Social Services
Stormie Satterfield
Intelligence Analyst
Greenville County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit
Opening mobile healthcare clinics for persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) in rural South Carolina presents both formidable barriers and promising opportunities, both of which will be discussed in detail during this session. Barriers include limited access to healthcare infrastructure, sparse transportation options for patients, and the prevailing stigma surrounding addiction in conservative communities. However, the rural setting also offers opportunities to address unmet needs, as the mobile clinic can bridge geographical gaps, provide tailored outreach programs, and leverage community partnerships to foster a more supportive and understanding environment for individuals seeking SUD treatment. The challenge lies in navigating these obstacles while capitalizing on the unique potential for positive impact in a region with distinct healthcare challenges.
Speakers:
Lindsey Neal, FNP
Addiction Medicine Nurse Practitioner
Prisma Health
Emma Pyle, MSW
Social Worker
Prisma Health
Darin Thomas
Addiction Medicine Center Strategic Project Director
Prisma Health
Much of our understanding of the current overdose crisis is informed by data coming out of coroners’ offices across the state. During the course of their medicolegal investigations, county coroners collect information on the immediate and underlying causes of death, which exact drugs caused the death, significant conditions contributing to death, and other physical and demographic details. Such valuable data guides the response of public health officials and targets harm reduction efforts.
This panel will discuss the critical function of the coroner in collecting and dispersing data that helps public health officials, law enforcement, and others prevent future deaths by providing real-time information on deaths.
Speakers:
Shelton England, D-ABMDI
Senior Deputy Coroner
Greenville County Coroner's Office
Bobbi Jo O'Neal, RN
Coroner
Charleston County Coroner's Office
Tamara Willard, MA, LPC
Chief Deputy Coroner
Horry County Coroner's Office
The South Carolina Center of Excellence in Addiction is a collaboration of Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and the Department of Health and Environmental Control. In the first year of this innovative collaboration, the Center has established several initiatives in support of its mission to maximize our state's opioid and substance use disorder resources. This session will detail those initiatives, including a statewide treatment data analytics platform, technical assistance for implementation of opioid and substance use disorder strategies, and training through a dedicated ECHO tele-mentoring program for localities and their partners as they consider how to best utilize their abatement resources. Emerging trends, early outcomes, and planning for future work will be presented by Center leaders.
Speakers:
Christina Andrews, PhD
Associate Professor
University of South Carolina
Kathleen Brady, MD, PhD
Director, South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute
Distinguished University Professor, Medical University of South Carolina
Sara Goldsby, MSW, MPH
Director
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
Alain Litwin, MD, MPH
Professor, Clemson University School of Health Research, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Executive Director, Addiction Medicine Center, Prisma Health
Vice Chair of Academics and Research, Department of Medicine, Prisma Health – Upstate
Jodi Manz, MSW
Executive Director
SC Center of Excellence in Addiction
Ed Simmer, MD, MPH, DFAPA
Director
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
College students and other young adults represent an important population for early intervention, treatment, and recovery support for our state, with unique risk factors and needs. This presentation will discuss the experiences of problematic substance use, addiction, and recovery for adolescents and young adults and describe best practices for intervention and recovery support on college campuses. Students and campus professionals will describe the collegiate recovery resources in South Carolina and how community organizations can partner to serve this population.
Speakers:
Aimee Hourigan, MEd
Director of Substance Abuse Prevention and Education
University of South Carolina
Christian Jackson
Director of Counseling and Self Development
South Carolina State University
Wood Marchant, MSW
Director, Collegiate Recovery Program
College of Charleston
Tena Nardin, MS, LPC
Assistant Director of Substance Use Education and Services
Coastal Carolina University
This prevention-oriented presentation will outline the effective use of an evidence-based planning model, the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), designed by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This model, composed of five steps and guided by two principles, is a tool that community leaders can use to help support and direct their prevention planning. Speakers will detail use of the SPF and its benefits.
Speakers:
Ashley Bodiford, MPH, MS, CSPS
Director of Prevention
LRADAC
Melody Reid, ICSPS
Director of Prevention Services
Hazel Pittman Center
This panel presentation will provide information on how to start and grow a Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in South Carolina. Leaders of RCOs in separate geographic areas in the state will share their experiences related to start-up, implementation, and sustainability of the organizations. Specific ideas for key areas such as building a nonprofit board, hiring and training staff, creating community awareness, securing a location, developing policies, and securing funding will be discussed. Lessons learned from each of these leaders will also be shared.
Speakers:
Pam Imm, PhD
Community Psychologist
Lesley Pregenzer
Chief Executive Officer
FAVOR Upstate
Randy Rush
Executive Director
The Courage Center
Nanci Steadman Shipman
Founder/Executive Director
WakeUp Carolina
In South Carolina (SC), there is no statewide identification system that allows SC stakeholders and partners to be aware of the opioid-related prevention programs being conducted across the state. Through funding from Overdose Data to Action, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control developed a public-facing dashboard for the purpose of identifying opioid-related prevention activities in the state. The overall goal of the dashboard is to promote the efficient use of expenditures by enhancing stakeholder and partner collaboration and alignment. In addition, by identifying gaps in implementation, the dashboard can help partners better support underserved communities. This presentation will review the dashboard and demonstrate how partners can use the dashboard to identify and contact those implementing similar programs, identify gaps in services, and access success stories and lessons learned from partners.
Speaker:
Tramaine McMullen, PhD, MPH
Opioid Grants Manager
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
Following this presentation, participants will appreciate the full scope of the opioid crisis and its impact on pregnant and postpartum people. Participants will also become familiar with a current statewide program, Moms IMPACTT (IMProving Access to maternal mental health and substance use disorders Care through Telemedicine and Tele-mentoring) and its outcomes to date.
Speaker:
Constance Guille, MD
Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics & Gynecology
Medical University of South Carolina
This session will provide a brief overview of the six strategies utilized by county agencies to impact the delivery of primary prevention services throughout South Carolina. We will also take a closer look at the impact of public education and awareness campaigns for primary prevention at the state and local levels.
Speaker:
Alan Easler
Prevention Coordinator
Cornerstone
Wehme Hutto, MPA, CSPS
Executive Director
Ernest E. Kennedy Center
Michelle Nienhius, MPH
Manager of Prevention and Intervention Services
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
Principles of harm reduction will be introduced and explained in this session. Evidence-based harm reduction strategies will be shared with an explanation of their importance. The current state of harm reduction services, including syringe service programs in South Carolina, will be discussed. The goals and visions of two new harm reduction coalitions will be introduced, as will as an invitation for participants to get involved with these organizations.
Speaker:
Margie Stevens, PhD, CRC
Assistant Professor
University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville
Depression, PTSD, ADHD, and a number of other psychiatric disorders commonly co-occur in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). These comorbidities can impact the course of illness and worsen treatment outcomes. This research-based presentation will discuss the recognition and treatment of psychiatric disorders in individuals with OUD.
Speaker:
Kathleen Brady, MD, PhD
Director, South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute
Distinguished University Professor, Medical University of South Carolina
This presentation will include an overview of the Emergency Department (ED) Project from South Carolina’s Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Access Team. The services provided to patients with opioid use disorder in EDs will be outlined, along with engagement in treatment outcomes resulting from these interventions. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session with members of this statewide team:
Speakers:
Audrey Colin, CPSS
Program Coordinator for Recovery Services and SBIRT
Spartanburg Regional Medical Center
Sarah Gainey, MSW, LISW-CP/S
Director, SC Emergency Department MOUD Project
Medical University of South Carolina
Lindsey Jennings, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Medical University of South Carolina
Lisa Marshall, MD
This session will provide a general overview of the expanding and worsening opioid epidemic in the Upstate of South Carolina. We will provide the most up-to-date data with a deep discussion on the interplay of local EMS, hospital emergency departments (EDs), and local recovery organizations that have joined services to help combat the epidemic. This talk will also address unique non-opioid strategies that have been implemented in a level one trauma center to decrease overall opioid use while still providing pain relief and enhanced, sustained pain relief even after discharge from the ED.
Speakers:
Michael Masiowski, MD
Trustee
Medical University of South Carolina - Orangeburg, IERP Trust
Phillip Moschella, MD, PhD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Prisma Health
This session will share information about opioid fatality review teams (OFRs) that are currently happening in Berkeley, Greenville, and Lexington counties. The facilitators of these OFRs will discuss how the teams were convened and organized in their counties to do a thorough review of the causes and conditions that led to the decedents’ deaths by overdose. A focus will be on the recommendations that have emerged based on the patterns and trends of these reviews over time. The panelists will welcome questions from the audience about lessons learned during this process.
Speakers:
Allison Bilton
Administrative Specialist 3 / Community Outreach Coordinator
Berkeley County Coroner's Office
Michelle Cunningham, RNC-MNN, PCE, BSN
Interagency Liaison
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services - SC Department of Social Services
Pam Imm, PhD
Community Psychologist
Bobbi Jo O'Neal, RN
Coroner
Charleston County Coroner's Office
WEDNESDAY | MAY 1
10:30AM-11:45AM
1:15PM-2:30PM
Speaker: William Lynch, Clincial Pharmacist | Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine/HIDTA NMI
This session will explore the realities of diversity in recovery spaces. Hear from our panel about their experiences navigating recovery and learn how we can leverage diverse lenses and voices to strengthen recovery for all.
Speaker:
Willie Thompson, PhD
Founder & CEO, Recover All SC
Founder & Executive Director, SC Recovery Faith Coalition
Tina Harris
FAVOR Upstate
Ericka Pursley
Catawba Nation
John Brunty
The Courage Center
This presentation will describe current prevalence of opioid prescribing for children in South Carolina, using both Medicaid and PDMP data. The presenter will review recent research completed with investigators at Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina to identify opportunities to reduce improper opioid prescribing and dispensing of opioids, focusing on what providers can do on a daily basis.
Speaker:
William (Bill) Basco, MD, MS
Professor of Pediatrics
Medical University of South Carolina
Peer recovery services are an often-critical component of substance use disorder work. Services provided by peers can be delivered and supported in a variety of both traditional and non-traditional settings. This panel, composed of individuals in South Carolina who work in different settings that utilize peers for service delivery, will discuss their experiences across different systems.
Speakers:
Audrey Colin, CPSS
Senior Program Coordinator for Recovery Services
The Forrester Center for Behavioral Health
My'Ashisa Haynesworth
Program Coordinator
Allen University
Dan Loffredo
Recovery Services Coordinator
SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
Nichole Lowder, CPSS, NCPSS
Peer Support / MAT Supervisor
SC Department of Corrections
Jessica McCoy
Recovery Services Coordinator
The Aiken Center
Nanci Steadman Shipman
Founder & Executive Director
WakeUp Carolina
This presentation will cover the development and implementation of both pre-trial and sentenced addiction treatment and recovery services at J. Reuben Long Detention Center, the third-largest jail in South Carolina. This will include a description of pre-trial programs and the three-phase therapeutic community treatment model known as the Jail Diversion and Reentry Program. Evidence-based principles will be covered, as well as expected outcomes.
Speakers:
Marcus Rhodes
Director of Detention
Horry County Sheriff's Office
Dustin Walters, ADC, CPSS
Treatment Director
Horry County Sheriff's Office
In early 2023, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC)'s Upstate Health Office, Ten at the Top, and the South Carolina Office of Rural Health began convening providers and others interested in behavioral health across the Upstate to gain a better understanding around the issue and to identify opportunities for collaboration to grow the individual and collective capacity of organizations and communities. This presentation will include leaders from each organization discussing the process used to begin the effort, as well as the current actions and potential impacts of the collaborative, now known as Resilient Upstate.
Speakers:
Kandi Fredere, PhD, FACHE
Regional Health Director
SCDHEC Upstate Region
Dean Hybl
Executive Director
Ten at the Top
Jess Seel, MPH
Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives and Workforce Development
South Carolina Office of Rural Health
This session will provide an overview of recent and current SC Department of Health and Human Services initiatives to support the provision of behavioral health services. This will include information on payment policy, but also on mental health crisis and its relationship to overdose, substance use treatment for pregnant women, and other initiatives that support treatment providers and South Carolina patients.
Speaker:
Melanie Hendricks
Director of Behavioral Health
SC Department of Health and Human Services
Join us for an informative session on the SCORF board, a distinguished set of statewide leaders appointed by the governor to meticulously guide the allocation of our opioid settlement dollars. As the inaugural board, they are actively shaping policies and procedures to establish a robust foundation for responsible and transparent utilization of these dollars. Gain insight into prioritization strategies, learn about the application process for funds and ask the Board questions. Join constructive dialogue that shapes our community's well-being and prevents opioid misuse.
Speakers:
Eric Bedingfield (Chairman)
Governmental Affairs Director
Greenville Technical College
Aditi Bussells, PhD, MPH
Councilwoman
City of Columbia
Steve Donaldson, MEd
Consultant
Battle Trail LLC
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria is widely recognized as the standard for determining levels of care in the field of substance misuse and addiction. In this presentation, the speakers will cover how they employ these criteria within their correctional facilities, including utilization of evidence-based programs, collaborations with community partners, and their goals for expanding services to better address addiction and substance misuse for the justice-involved population.
Speakers:
Nichole Lowder, CPSS, NCPSS
Peer Support / MAT Supervisor
SC Department of Corrections
Debra Munford, LPC, LAC, LACS, CS, MAC, NCC
ATU Program Manager
SC Department of Corrections
This panel discussion will provide participants with an understanding of addiction as a disease, as well as how the first few months of implementing a new buprenorphine treatment protocol have gone. This will include information about obstacles to the protocol and how they were overcome. Suggestions and ideas for implementing any protocol could be gleaned from this information, as well as a better understanding of addiction medicine. There will be plenty of room for Q&A during the panel/presentation.
Speakers:
Parker Bailes IV, NRP, CP-C
Community Paramedic
Prisma Health
Phillip Moschella, MD, PhD
Department of Emergency Medicine
Prisma Health
A community overdose response plan is an important part of an effective response to decrease the impacts of the overdose epidemic by using data and coordinating collaborative action. While prevention continues to be very important, a response plan can help your community be better prepared to intervene and to limit the impact of any future spikes in drug overdoses. This presentation will cover: 1) how coalition partners can identify a spike/alarming trend; 2) how they can communicate; and 3) what resources they can plan to deploy quickly across multiple sectors (including first responders, medical/health, recovery organizations, faith community, and other community-based agencies) to connect those at risk of overdose with appropriate local services.
Speakers:
Allen Easler
Prevention Coordinator
Cornerstone
Teresa Roy
Director of Community Outreach
Cornerstone
Drug courts provide an innovative, evidence-based approach at the intersection of justice and treatment. In this session, you will hear from speakers who work collaboratively across systems to make drug courts successful in their South Carolina communities.
Speakers:
Judge Erin Dean
Teresa Pye
Director of Treatment Courts
Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office