ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) —The Albany Dougherty Alliance Against Opioid and Substance Misuse will host a Lunch and Learn event Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Phoebe North on Dawson Road in Albany.

The event, titled “Understanding Opioids and Substance Use Disorders Through a Trauma-Informed Lens: Evidence-Based Approaches for Rural Communities,” will begin at 11 a.m. and feature local health professionals and community leaders.

The schedule includes:

• 11 a.m. — Welcome and opening remarks from Phyllis Rolle, public health analyst with Southwest Health District 8-2
• 11:15 a.m. — Coroner Michael Fowler, “Overdose Deaths in Dougherty County”
• 11:30 a.m. — Lunch served
• Noon — Introduction of speaker by Kiva Hall, director of Starz Academy
• 12:15 p.m. — Keynote address from Dr. Dorian Lamis, Ph.D., ABPP, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Health System
• 1 p.m. — Aspire Core Team presentation by Trish Flueren, CPS-MH/WH/AD, CAMS
• 1:15 p.m. — Closing remarks from Angie Barber of the Phoebe Network of Trust

The program will examine opioid use and substance use disorders through a trauma-informed approach, with an emphasis on evidence-based strategies for rural communities.

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