7:15am – 8:00am
Conference Registration & Networking Breakfast 

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

Kathryn Cates-Wessel, BA
CEO
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
Principal Investigator and Co-Director
Opioid Response Network 

8:15am – 9:00am
Transforming Addiction Care Delivery Models
Learn how one health system is restructuring their addiction treatment programs to better meet patient needs, improve operational efficiency and patient outcomes. We’ll review how they have adjusted services to meet both changing patient needs as well as evolve in the context of the broader healthcare landscape with changing regulations and the need to demonstrate ROI to payers in a value-based care system.

Lisa Blanchard
Chief Clinical Officer
Spectrum Health Systems 

Lynn Leblanc-Marrone
Executive Director -Inpatient and Outpatient Clinical Services
Spectrum Health Systems 

9:00am – 9:45am
Building the Plane While Flying: Lessons from Implementing MAT Protocols in the ED
Emergency departments (EDs) are a critical touchpoint for individuals with an opioid use disorder (OUD), yet integrating medication assisted treatment (MAT) into these environments presents unique challenges. This session will explore the real-world experience of launching ED-based buprenorphine protocols across several hospitals in Tennessee—before every piece was perfectly in place. We will discuss the evidence base for MAT in emergency settings, the essential cross-sector partnerships that enabled adoption, and the lessons learned about organizational change. Attendees will gain insights into implementing new clinical protocols in dynamic environments, navigating barriers such as data collection, and leveraging softer indicators of success. 

Kayla Williams Mehr, PMHNP
MOUD Clinical Specialist
Office of the Commissioner, Department of Clinical Leadership
Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services 

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
Federal and State Funding Optimization Strategies
This session will examine effective approaches to leveraging public funding sources for addiction treatment programs. We’ll analyze current and upcoming funding opportunities, grant writing strategies and compliance requirements. Learn how organizations are blending different funding streams to create sustainable programs while maintaining regulatory compliance. Discussion will include successful models for public-private partnerships. 

Samuel A. MacMaster, PhD
Founder and Advisory Board Chair
National Institute for Behavioral Health 

11:00am – 11:45am
Healthcare Analytics: Leveraging Data for Program Optimization
This session will  demonstrate practical applications of analytics in addiction treatment programs. Discover how organizations are:

• Identifying high-risk patient populations
• Optimizing resource allocation
• Measuring program effectiveness
• Demonstrating ROI to stakeholders 

Joseph Conte, PhD, CPHQ
Executive Director
Staten Island Performing Provider System 

Raj Lakhanpal, MD
CEO
Spectra Medix 

Michael LaRocca
Founder and CEO
Ready Computing 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Entering the 4^th Decade of the Opioid Epidemic: An Institutional Approach to Opioid Stewardship
The opioid crisis in the United States has grown increasingly complex as it enters its fourth decade.  Synthetic opioids and psychostimulants now contribute to significant morbidity and mortality.  Despite recent declining trends in overdose deaths, they remain magnitudes higher compared to the early years of the crisis.  Against this backdrop, Mayo Clinic formed an Opioid Stewardship Program in 2017 with representation from multiple disciplines and across 5 US States.  Our mission was to establish and maintain opioid analgesic prescribing and monitoring best practices through the development of guidelines, risk mitigation strategies and electronic health record tools, dashboards and leadership push reports, as well as education for patients and staff.  As the epidemic evolved, we shifted our focus to opioid use disorder (OUD) screening and treatment, community engagement, while continuing to keep our institutional leadership abreast of regulatory and guideline updates and keeping them accountable for upholding best practices. 

This talk will highlight practical and sustainable approaches our institution took to drive improvement in opioid prescribing trends across all specialties, enhance provider and leadership awareness of OUD, and increase the numbers of patients with OUD receiving treatment.  

Benjamin Lai,  MB BCh BAO, FAAFP
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine & Chair of Mayo Clinic’s Opioid Stewardship Program
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA 

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Luncheon 

1:30pm – 2:15pm
Introduction to Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: Practical Applications in the Clinical Setting 
Harm Reduction is more than needle exchanges and MAT/MOUD. There are programs, policies, and practices, yet few behavioral healthcare providers know how to use it in a clinical setting. This presentation will give an overview of harm reduction psychotherapy, explore why it is a controversial topic, and review its core concepts with special attention on alcohol—the #1 substance of use. Participants will walk away with tangible tools to engage clients in any stage of change and experience a paradigm shift in how we treat people with drug and alcohol problems.   

Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC
Co-Founder, Author
Insight Into Action Therapy 

2:15pm – 3:15pm 
Panel Discussion: Health Plan and Provider Collaboration Models
This session will explore emerging models for collaboration between health plans and treatment providers. The panel will share practical insights on building sustainable partnerships that benefit all stakeholders.

Discussion topics include:

• Value-based contract structuring
• Quality metric alignment
• Data sharing frameworks
• Risk-sharing arrangements 

Lisa Blanchard
Chief Clinical Officer
Spectrum Health Systems 

Audrey J. Whetsell, MS, CPHIT, NCQA, CCE
CEO
Medical Home Development Group, LLC 

Joseph Conte, PhD, CPHQ
Executive Director
Staten Island Performing Provider System 

3:15pm – 3:45pm
Networking & Refreshments Break 

3:45pm – 4:30pm 
Telehealth Integration: Health System Implementation Strategies
The speaker will share frameworks for implementing sustainable telehealth programs for addiction treatment. We’ll analyze staffing models, technology infrastructure requirements and operational workflows that support program success. Discussion includes contracting approaches, quality monitoring systems and methods for demonstrating program value. Real-world examples will illustrate how organizations have achieved operational excellence in virtual care delivery.

Jenny Hua
Interim Deputy Commissioner and Medical Director
Behavioral Health Bureau
Chicago Department of Public Health 

4:30pm – 5:15pm
Supportive reintegration: Changing re-entry pathways for incarcerated individuals with OUD
This presentation will explore critical factors influencing the successful reintegration of individuals with opioid and stimulant use disorders, particularly those recently released from incarceration. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers to community reintegration, including social, psychological, and systemic challenges that hinder long-term recovery. Emphasis will be placed on the essential role of community partners, including criminal justice agencies, in facilitating a supportive environment for reintegration. Through the lens of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Re-entry Court programs, attendees will learn how to apply evidence-based practices within their own communities to help support individuals in overcoming these barriers. The session will equip participants with practical strategies for creating a holistic and collaborative approach to promote recovery, reduce recidivism, and ensure successful community reintegration. 

Samantha Gowette, LCADC
Specialty Courts Specialist, MAT Re-Entry Court
Eighth Judicial District Court 

5:15pm
End of Day One

7:15am – 8:00am
Networking Breakfast 

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Recap

Kathryn Cates-Wessel, BA
CEO
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
Principal Investigator and Co-Director
Opioid Response Network

8:15am – 9:00am
Law Enforcement and Healthcare: Innovative Partnership Models
This session will explore successful programs that bridge public safety and healthcare delivery. Examine how organizations are structuring these partnerships to improve outcomes while optimizing resource utilization. You will also learn about data sharing protocols, intervention strategies and measurement frameworks that support program sustainability. 

Jennifer Joyce, LICSW,MBA
Specialist, Health Care Delivery Management Administration
DC Department of Health Care Finance 

9:00am – 9:45am
Addressing Substance Use and Opioid Use Disorder Needs the PRIDE Community
This presentation will present original data, information gleaned from interviews with staff, as well as review the recent literature that defines the treatment needs of this population.  Over 10% of the US population identifies as a member of the PRIDE community and a recent Gallup poll indicates that 1 in 4 Gen Z identifies as a member of this community.  Those who identify as PRIDE Community are more likely to experience both mental health and substance use disorders than the general population according to the CDC.  PRIDE community members often present with a unique set of challenges that impact treatment accessibility, treatment entry and treatment efficacy.  We will review the challenges to research and treatment, define what differentiates this population and discuss ways to support effective treatment and long-term positive outcomes.  

Siobhan Morse, MHSA, CRC, CAI, MAC
Product Director
Universal Health Services 

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
Implementing Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in the Primary Care Setting
This presentation examines the opioid epidemic’s devastating impact on public health, highlighting its far-reaching consequences on individuals, families, and communities. It explores the crucial role primary care settings can play in identifying, treating, and managing opioid use disorder (OUD), emphasizing the importance of integrating OUD care into routine primary care practice. The presentation will underscore the effectiveness of medications as a key component of OUD treatment, focusing specifically on buprenorphine’s efficacy, safety, and accessibility in primary care settings. It will discuss the benefits of buprenorphine, including its potential to reduce cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and overdose risk, while promoting long-term recovery. A case presentation will illustrate the successful implementation of buprenorphine treatment in a primary care setting.

Manassa Hany, MD
Director, Division of Addiction Psychiatry
Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell 

11:00am – 11:45am
Medication Assisted Treatment: Building Sustainable Programs
The speaker will share strategies for developing financially viable medication assisted treatment programs that drive both clinical outcomes and operational success. We’ll examine effective approaches to program design, reimbursement optimization and resource allocation that support sustainable growth. Discover how leading  are:

• Structuring staffing models to optimize efficiency
• Navigating payer contracting and billing requirements
• Developing partnerships with specialty pharmacies
• Creating streamlined workflows for medication management

Paul Trivette
Chief Strategy Officer
Cedar Recovery 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Measuring and Building Recovery Supports
Robust recovery ecosystems provide environments where individuals can access substance use treatment and recovery support services. The East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health and Research, in partnership with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis and the Fletcher Group, and with guidance from an expert panel, created the Recovery Ecosystem Index Mapping Tool to help stakeholders understand the strength of their community-level recovery supports and ways to strengthen them. This session will describe the development of this free, interactive tool and demonstrate its functionalities. It will also discuss how the tool can support efforts to strengthen recovery ecosystems.

Michael Meit, MA, MPH
Director
East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health and Research 

12:30pm
Conference Concludes                                                    

This working session will showcase no-cost resources available to help others achieve their goals related to substance use and mental health and educate and promote acceptance and integration of evidence-based practices. It will focus on the prevention of opioid and other substance use disorders, treatment with medications for individuals with opioid use disorders (OUD) and recovery.

At the completion of this activity, participants will:

• Describe the resources provided by two Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded training and technical assistance programs: ORN and PCSS-MOUD (Providers Clinical Support System-Medications for Opioid Use Disorder), a program also funded by SAMHSA created in response to the opioid overdose epidemic to train primary care providers in the evidence-based prevention and treatment of OUD and treatment of chronic pain.
• Examine ways technical assistance can be implemented in a variety of settings including organizations, treatment facilities, justice/legal settings and community programs.
• Demonstrate how technical assistance can lead to the implementation of evidence-based practices in a variety of service organizations.

Kathryn Cates-Wessel, BA
CEO
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
Principal Investigator and Co-Director
Opioid Response Network 

Holly Hagle, PhD
Chief Learning and Research Officer
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry
Co-Director
Opioid Response Network