Forum 20 Feature: Healthcare Reform and Community Restoration Efforts Major Topics at CADCA Forum

Healthcare reform. It was perhaps the most covered issue in the news media the past year, and now CADCA is bringing this hot topic to you during a special town hall session being held at CADCA's National Leadership Forum next week.

This town hall session, entitled “Substance Use Disorders, Health and Healthcare,” is one of two taking place during the CADCA Forum. It takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 1:30 p.m. Hosted by Patrice Gaines, a former Washington Post reporter and regular NPR contributor who is in long-term recovery, this interactive town hall will include a lively discussion on the importance of including substance use disorders in healthcare reform legislation, how substance abuse impacts the nation and the importance of prevention and treatment.

“The town hall is designed to be interactive and engaging, and we hope all attendees will participate and get involved in the discussion,” said Mary Elizabeth Elliott, CADCA’s Vice President of Communications and Membership.

Leaders representing various federal agencies will serve as panelists during the town hall. They include:
• Pamela S. Hyde, JD, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Kenneth R. Warren, PhD, Acting Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Timothy P. Condon, PhD, Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
• H. Westley Clark, MD, JD, MPH, CAS, FASAM, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA
• A. Kathryn Power, MEd, Director, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA
• Frances M. Harding, Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SAMHSA
 

The second Federal Town Hall will focus on “Restoring America’s Communities,” and will take place on Thurs., Feb. 11, at 9 a.m. This town hall will be moderated by Kojo Nnamdi, host of The Kojo Nnamdi Show, a live talk show produced by WAMU 88.5. During this session, leaders from federal agencies will discuss the unique ways that their department or agency is helping restore American communities. Like the first one, this session is meant to be a two-way discussion, with several opportunities for participants to pose questions to the panelists.

The panelists include:
• Major General Raymond W. Carpenter, Acting Director, Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau
• Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe & Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education
• Michele Leonhart, Acting Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration
• Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice
• Denise Viera, Acting Director, Community Capacity Development Office, Department of Justice

CADCA’s 20th Annual National Leadership Forum is the nation's largest training event for substance abuse prevention, treatment professionals and researchers, featuring more than 100 workshops to help community and state leaders prevent and reduce substance abuse and its related problems. The Forum will take place at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, just minutes outside Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8-11, 2010. This year's theme, “Coalitions At Work: Restoring Communities,” focuses on what community coalitions do best—mobilize communities and implement evidence-based practices.
Click here to view the full workshop grid.