Ballad Health, East Tennessee State University to host Recovery Symposium: Changing Minds, Changing Lives on June 11

Ballad Health and East Tennessee State University will bring together addiction experts, frontline advocates and community leaders for a daylong event focused on the opioid crisis and innovative solutions to support those impacted by substance use disorders.

The Recovery Symposium: Changing Minds, Changing Lives will take place Thursday, June 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center.

“We’re proud to partner with East Tennessee State University to convene a respected group of experts at the forefront of addressing substance use disorders,” said Tammy Albright, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Ballad Health’s Behavioral Health Services. “This symposium represents another important step in our continued commitment to helping individuals and families across our region who have been impacted by the opioid crisis.”

The event is free to attend and has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through joint providership of Ballad Health and ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine.

The day will begin with a Washington County Sheriff’s Office panel focused on providing mental health care in correctional settings, building behavioral health programs within law enforcement and using co-response teams and crisis intervention to help connect people in crisis to care instead of jail.

The morning will also include Narcan training focused on responding to opioid overdoses, followed by a presentation on the HEALing Communities Study, which examines how communities can use data-driven strategies to reduce opioid overdose deaths.

Another panel will explore how peer recovery specialists help people navigate treatment and recovery, including support for individuals involved in the justice system and efforts to connect people more quickly to care.

Additional sessions will focus on building stronger local recovery support systems and identifying community resources. The day will conclude with a discussion on medications for opioid use disorder and how combining medication with counseling and peer support improves recovery outcomes.

Quillen College of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians and designates this activity for a maximum of 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

Ballad Health is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. A maximum of 6.0 continuing nursing education hours have been approved for this conference.

Pharmacists will have access to 6.0 ACPE credits accredited by the Tennessee Pharmacists Consortium for Education (TPCE). TPCE is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

In addition, continuing education credits (CEUs) will be offered for social workers and licensed professional counselors; attendees may earn up to 6.0 contact hours through the event’s accredited providers.

For those unable to attend in person, register online to attend the symposium virtually.