WASHINGTON, D.C. — A team of Marshall University faculty and staff members working together on addiction and mental health education is serving as an example for other colleges and universities when it comes to collaboration.
“When we all come together, we really can work well on finding solutions,” said Amy Saunders, director of student health education programs and chair of Marshall University’s Recovery Coalition.
On Friday, Saunders talked with MetroNews after returning from Washington, D.C. where team members were part of the 2018 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s Addiction Educational Summit.
Team members led a panel discussion for academics and community leaders on efforts to increase addiction and mental health education across all health profession fields at Marshall University and in the Huntington community via Marshall’s Substance Use Recovery Coalition.
The point was, “To show other schools and groups what’s possible,” Saunders said.
“To look at the big scope, the bigger picture of things that they could get involved with and (encourage them to) really to get out of academia, get out into their community.”
In all, the Marshall Recovery Coalition is made up of more than 50 faculty and staff members who work collaboratively to address the drug epidemic through education.
“We can’t afford to be silos. We can’t afford to be working in our own little lanes. We have to come together to focus in on this. It’s a major public health crisis,” Saunders said.
On the trip to Washington, D.C. with Saunders were the following:
– Dr. Marianna Footo-Linz, chair of the psychology department,
– Lyn O’Connell, clinical coordinator of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT),
– Dr. Penny Koontz, faculty member for the psychology doctoral program,
– Dr. Brittany Riley, School of Pharmacy faculty,
– Dr. Gretchen Pfost, School of Physical Therapy faculty and
– Dr. Rania Karim, School of Physical Therapy faculty.
Created in 2016, Marshall’s Substance Use Recovery Coalition is partly supported by grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.
Establishing Marshall as a global leader in addiction studies is among the goals of Dr. Jerome Gilbert, president of Marshall University.
“We’re working across all the different, not only health professions, but we’re pulling in a lot of other different disciplines to focus in on solutions to address the opioid epidemic,” Saunders said.
This fall, the Recovery Coalition will be holding training events on Marshall’s Huntington campus, implementing workforce development programs and launching new treatment projects in coordination with Marshall Health.