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ForwardThe 2026 Overdose Prevention Summit
The Kentucky Overdose Prevention Summit will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of overdose prevention evidence-based public health approach that extends beyond syringe service programs. The Summit will highlight the full continuum of overdose prevention strategies, including risk reduction strategies and response, disease testing and prevention, safe use education, and linkage to addiction treatment and recovery services. Participants will explore current trends, data, and emerging issues related to the drug overdose epidemic in Kentucky and examine promising and evidence-based practices that improve health outcomes for people who use drugs (PWUD) and individuals diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Through expert-led sessions, practical examples, and collaborative discussion, the Summit aims to increase awareness, strengthen partnerships, and support the implementation of comprehensive risk reduction and overdose prevention strategies across communities statewide.
Target Audience
Overdose prevention navigators: peer navigators, certified peer recovery specialists, peer support specialists, case managers, patient navigators (Physicians, Pharmacists, Nurses, Social Workers, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors, Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor), community health workers, persons with lived experience, and other individuals who link people who use drugs to overdose prevention resources, substance use disorder treatment, and/or recovery support services.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Identify the need for, and types of, recovery support and overdose prevention services.
- Describe how the Social Determinants of Health framework informs risk reduction and overdose prevention approaches.
- Apply evidence-based policies, programs, practices, and procedures when training and supporting overdose prevention care navigators.
- Explain the role of overdose prevention care navigators, including adult peer support specialists, within comprehensive overdose prevention programs.
- Develop strategies to promote community-centered and accessible approaches for vulnerable, at-risk, and underserved populations receiving risk reduction and overdose prevention services, including but not limited to individuals who are experiencing homelessness, mothers, survivors of gender-based violence, and individuals with mental health disorders.
- Describe integrated prevention and treatment models that support health access, linkage to care, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), prevention education, and infectious disease testing through Syringe Services Programs (SSPs).
Day 1 — Monday, June 15, 2026
7:00 – 8:00 AM
Exhibitor Registration Check-In and Set-Up
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Attendee Registration, Exhibitor Viewing, and Networking
9:00 – 9:30 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:30 – 10:40 AM | Opening Keynote
Overdose Measures Matter: A Data Collection Guide for Community-Based Organizations, Health Departments, and Funders
Ellen Lycan, DrPH & Sarisa Roe, MPH
10:40 – 11:00 AM
Exhibitor Viewing, Networking & Refreshment Break
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions
From Crisis to Connection
Cillian Browne, APSS
Disrupting the Cycle: Community Health Workers at the Front Lines of Overdose Prevention
Kyle Burnett, CHW, CCHW
Quality Recovery Housing as Overdose Infrastructure
Jonathan Philpot, MA
Transforming Reentry: How Peer-Led Learning Communities Are Rewriting Overdose Prevention and Recovery
Margaret McGladrey, PhD (Moderator) | Brooke Hiltz, JD; Rebecca Gray; Brittany Herrington, RADPSS; Savvy Shabazz; Susannah Stitzer, JD, MPA (Panelists)
Building Civil Legal Aid into Overdose Prevention Strategies
Justin Apperson, JD & Casey Michalovic, JD
12:00 – 1:15 PM
Exhibitor Viewing, Networking & Lunch
2:00 – 3:00 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Beyond Reversal: Integrating MOUD, Behavioral Health, and Gambling Treatment to Strengthen Long-Term Overdose Prevention and Recovery
Regina Padilla, LPCC
No One Recovers Alone: Group Prenatal Postpartum Care for Women in Recovery
Angela Chisholm, DNP, BSN, RN, IBCLC
Connecting People to Care: Understanding Availability and Capacity in Kentucky Using Find Help Now KY
Angela Kirby, MPA & Mira Mirzaian, MPH
Expanding Impact Through Community Partnerships: A Local Health Department Harm Reduction Outreach Services Model
Lauren Passmore
Plan of Safe Care: The Collaboratives Approach to Regional Support and Services for Pregnant and Postpartum Women
Rachael Ratliff, MSW, LCSW
3:00 – 3:15 PM
Exhibitor Viewing, Networking & Refreshment Break
3:15 – 4:15 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Are You Grant Ready?
Melissa Vermillion, MBA, GPC
The Octopus Model: Overdose Prevention-Led, Community-Embedded Care for Rural People Who Use Drugs
Michelle Mathis, Rev. & Jon Zibbell, PhD
Every Touchpoint Matters: Perinatal Mental Health and Overdose Prevention
Anna Chamberlain, APRN
Care Navigators in Emergency Departments
Tamara Dewees, LPCC & Amber Stepp, CHW, CCHW
Harm REDACTED: Providing Care and Compassion in a Changing World
Ben Goldman & Jennifer Twyman
4:15 – 5:00 PM
Closing Remarks, Exhibitor Viewing & Networking
5:00 – 6:30 PM
Exhibitor Round Robin / Mutual Aid Meeting (open to all)
Day 2 — Tuesday, June 16, 2026
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Attendee Registration, Exhibitor Viewing, and Networking
8:30 – 9:00 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:00 – 10:10 AM | Opening Keynote
The Impact of an Increasingly Toxic Drug Supply on Growing Morbidity Among People Who Inject Drugs — Epidemiologic Update from the Field
Jon Zibbell, PhD
10:10 – 10:30 AM
Exhibitor Viewing, Networking & Refreshment Break
10:30 – 11:30 AM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions
From Tragedy to Action: Strengthening Communities Through Overdose Fatality Reviews
Jaelin Southerling, MPH; Jennifer Osborne, MBA, BS; Twyla Crain
CODE RED: Universal Safety Planning
Beck Whipple, MSW, LCSW
Enhancing Risk Reduction Services Through Alcohol and Other Drug Entity Licensure
Michael Nix, MSW, LCSW & Sara Shouse, TCM
Empowering Resilience: How the McKinney-Vento Act Works to Prevent Overdoses in Students Experiencing Homelessness
Zachary Stumbo, PhD
A Place to Go: Why Every Rural Community Needs a Recovery Community Center
Amy Payne, APSS
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Exhibitor Viewing, Networking & Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 PM | Concurrent Breakout Sessions
From Risk to Resilience: Understanding Youth Opioid Overdose Through Shared Risk and Protective Factors
Samantha Whelan, Certified Prevention Specialist
UK Harm Reduction HUB: A Public Health Initiative for Early Identification of Substances and Additives in Kentucky's Street Drug Supply
Brooke Hiltz, JD & Rachel Vickers-Smith, PhD
MOUD Treatment and Intervention Strategies
Jim Beiting, MSW, LCSW
Financial Literacy: Empowering Financial Stability in Recovery
Eric Dunn, BA
Redefining Recovery: Measuring Hope, Healing, and Capital in Recovery Support
Billy O'Bryan, APSS & Chelsea Craycraft, MAEd
2:00 – 2:30 PM
Awards, Closing Remarks, and Dismissal
Amber Kizewski, MA, PhD Candidate
Available Credit
- 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
In support of improving patient care, UK HealthCare CECentral is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This Live activity is designated for a maximum of 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.