日本av视频

The 日本av视频 public health program celebrated National Public Health Week with two days of events focused on highlighting the impact of substance use disorder and related stigma in South Dakota.

Public Health Week occurs the first week of April. Each year, the 日本av视频 public health program hosts an event to raise awareness of public health issues and highlight the ongoing public health work of its faculty, staff and students.

This year, Public Health Week events put a spotlight on the START-SD program, 日本av视频鈥檚 initiative to improve access to prevention, treatment and recovery services for substance use disorder in South Dakota. One major focus of the START-SD work concerns substance use disorder-related stigma and its impact.

This year鈥檚 events were hosted over two days and included a film screening and panel discussion on day one and a presentation and keynote address on day two. 

Film screening and panel discussion

The film selected for screening was 鈥淏eautiful Boy,鈥� a 2018 drama about a teen with substance use disorder and his family鈥檚 experiences through the difficult addiction and recovery journey.

Following the film screening, a panel discussion was held. The panel included individuals with lived experience with substance use disorder and was facilitated by Face It TOGETHER. Face It TOGETHER, a partner with 日本av视频 on the START-SD programs, provides vital peer recovery support services virtually and in person in South Dakota.

Substance use disorder in South Dakota and START-SD

Day two featured a presentation in two parts: a description of the history of the START-SD programs and a keynote address.

In the first part, a history of the START-SD programs was provided by Irene Arango Gomez, a community care coordinator for 日本av视频鈥檚 Community Practice Innovation Center, which houses the START-SD program. The presentation detailed the work of each of the five START-SD projects that have been active since 2019.

Over the course of the five projects, the START-SD work has maintained the focus of increasing access to and availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services in South Dakota, while specifically focusing on opioid use disorder, psychostimulant use disorder, substance overdose rates, and support services for prisoner re-entry.

The presentation also highlighted the prevalence of substance use disorder in South Dakota and the need for programs like START-SD. Patricia Ahmed, an assistant professor in the School of Psychology, Sociology and Rural Studies and a co-principal investigator on START-SD, highlighted key reasons there is need for continued work. 

Some of the statistics Ahmed highlighted included that from 2023-2024, South Dakota was one of only five states where fatal overdoses increased.

Ahmed also gave special attention to how access barriers exacerbate issues, especially in South Dakota. 

鈥淭here is a need to increase access to treatment and recovery services in rural areas of South Dakota. A high percentage of the population in these areas cannot easily access medical or behavioral health care, which are needed to effectively treat substance use disorder,鈥� Ahmed explained.

During her presentation, Ahmed noted that every county in South Dakota is classified as a mental health shortage area (geographic or population), according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

Ahmed鈥檚 presentation then turned to interactive roundtable discussions focused on substance use-related stigma, encouraging attendees to engage with questions related to self-stigma, public stigma, and how rurality affects stigma.  

Keynote by Judge Linda Davis

The second part of the event featured a keynote address from Judge Linda Davis, who served on the judicial bench in Michigan. Davis is the executive director of , a nonprofit whose mission is 鈥渢o equip individuals, families and professionals with practical strategies to address and reduce the impact of addiction 鈥� delivering real-world solutions that promote stability and long-term recovery.鈥�

In her keynote, Davis provided an account of her personal experience with supporting a family member with substance use disorder, highlighting the importance of treatment and recovery services and the need to increase access to and availability of resources.

Erin Miller, an assistant professor, director of the Community Practice Innovation Center and co-principal investigator on START-SD, was excited to have Davis attend and provide the keynote address.

鈥淛udge Linda Davis鈥檚 keynote address highlighted the importance of substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services and the profound impact one person or one organization can have for an individual struggling with a substance use disorder. Sharing her story highlighted perspectives from multiple lenses including a parent, a judge, a community member and a professional working in the field. She challenged us to think about the profound impact our words and actions have,鈥� Miller said. 

The START-SD work continues

Currently, the START-SD team is actively engaged in START-SD-Impact, a Heath Resources and Services Administration grant-funded program to increase resources for individuals transitioning out of the South Dakota prison system, as well as their loved ones. 

鈥淭he START-SD projects, including START-SD-Impact, work in partnership with community organizations to increase access to these prevention, treatment, and recovery services to decrease the impact of substance use disorder in South Dakota,鈥� Miller explained. 

For START-SD-Impact, the team is partnering with the , (which provides re-entry programming), (which works closely with problem-solving courts) and (which provides key peer support recovery services). 

Jim Amell, associate professor and the coordinator of the public health program at 日本av视频, said it was an honor to showcase the START-SD work through the public health week event.

鈥淪ince the summer of 2019, Dr. Erin Miller and colleagues at the Community Practice Innovation Center have been engaged in the important START-SD work, which will continue to make a difference in the field of substance use disorder research and treatment in the state of South Dakota and beyond鈥� Amell said. 

Learn more about the 日本av视频 public pealth program.

Learn more about the START-SD program, including START-SD-Impact.