Howard Center's Marna and Stephen Wise Tulin Spring Community Education Series is free and open to the public and offers timely educational sessions and dialogue on a variety of current topics related to mental health, substance use, and developmental needs.

Our community, like many others in our country, is experiencing the effects of a surge in substance use, including opioid use. While individuals who engage in illicit substance use often struggle daily, their families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues—in short, their community—are also impacted.

As our second session in our Spring Community Education Series, this panel discussion will provide an overview of substance use in our community, including programs and services that provide treatment and efforts to create a bridge between people who use drugs and recovery, followed by a question-and-answer period. We encourage all community members to attend, share their experiences, and contribute to the discussion on how we can work together to create a safer, healthier community.

Howard Center provides multiple services for opioid use disorder within a harm reduction framework. Requests for help may come from an individual who is seeking treatment, a family member who wants advice to help a loved one, a community partner seeking support for individuals with opioid use disorder, a resident reporting used needles in a park, or a business owner who may be confronted with a person experiencing an overdose at their place of business.

As a community, we have all been impacted by the increase in substance use; as a community, we can create a path forward together. While it is unclear what the future may look like, one thing is certain: Prevention, harm reduction, and effective treatment—provided within a supportive and compassionate community—are key elements for successful recovery.

Beth Holden, MS, LCMHC, LADC, Howard Center Chief Client Services Officer will moderate the panel discussion. Panelists include Howard Center clinical staff John Brooklyn, MD, Medical Director of the Chittenden Clinic, Dan Hall, LADC, Director of Outpatient Services, and Heidi Melbostad, Ph.D., Director of the Chittenden Clinic.

May 11, 2024, 2 to 4 PM

May 15, 2024, 10 to 11 AM

May 16, 2024, 6 to 7:30 PM