Meet the “solutions team” who worked together to host the From Statistics to Solutions conference on May 12. From left to right: Tracee Anderson, Adam Pederson, Rose McKinney and Laura Zabinski.
Our Young Addicts partnered with Know The Truth, the prevention program for Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge. Together, we convened more 425 professionals including licensed alcohol and drug counselors (LADCs), social workers, educators, medical professionals and law enforcement officers. Each professional earned five CEU credits for attending the conference.
Our panel discussions covered early intervention, warning signs, collaboration and moving forward.We are grateful for participation by the following individuals and organizations:
Abe Abrahamson – Wright County Juvenile Probation Officer
John Choi – Ramsey County Attorney
Saul Selby – VP of Clinical & Transitional Services, MnTC
Linda Skillingstad – LICSW, LADC, PrairieCare
Brent Thompson – Pharmacy Director First Light Health Systems
PJ Agarwala, MD – Director of Child Psychiatry at the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital
Bill Hutton – Washington County Sheriff
Judge Michael Mayer – Dakota County
Jason Reed – PsydD, LP, Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Melrose Center
Sherry Gaugler-Stewart – Director of Family & Spiritual Recovery at the Retreat
Lexi Reed Holtum – Steve Rummler Hope Foundation
Patrice Salmeri – MA, LADC, Director of StepUp Program at Augsburg College
Lindsey Smith – Regional Prevention Coordinator
Misty Tu, MD – Mental Health Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
Judy Hanson – Chemical Health Specialist at Wayzata High School
Chris Johnson, MD – Allina Health
Paul Meunier – Executive Director YIPA
Jill Petsel – Former Executive Director of MN Recovery Connection
Tim Walsh – VP of Long Term Recovery and Mental Health Services MNTC
Laura Zabinski – Program Manager of Know the Truth
In addition, we featured three personal stories: Kaityln Arneson, a young woman who works for Know the Truth, talked about her experience with addiction and recovery (coming from a non-stereotypical environment); Lori Lewis, a mom who lost her son to a heroin overdose (read the transcript of her presentation posted on this blog yesterday) – she called out how the healthcare system failed her son; and I shared our family’s story of addiction sharing hope for possibility of recovery – even when it seemed hopeless.
Our keynote speaker was Chris Bailey, with an incredible tale of his own journey through addiction. He led us through mindfulness and meditation, which were key components of his recovery and included a walking journey across America in 2015 with his twin brother, Bobby.
In addition to volunteer support from Know The Truth and from my team at work, this conference was made possible by generous sponsors including:
We also had more than 25 exhibitors who contributed to the success of From Statistics to Solutions.
It was an incredible day that will move away from statistics and toward solutions to the underlying issues of youth substance use, including strategies for prevention and treatment. Everything about the conference exceeded our expectations. Without a doubt, we will be back bigger and better for #fsts17.
Midwestern Mama aka Rose McKinney
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