WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels of the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) announces the details of an upcoming conference, One Pill Can Kill (and Other Youth Substance Dangers).
The drug overdose crisis is a clear and present public safety, public health, and national security threat. Adolescent substance use is at its lowest point in decades, yet the number of overdoses has increased significantly.
This dynamic conference will highlight the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) campaign, One Pill Can Kill, to educate youth on the dangers of fentanyl and other illicit substances.
WHEN:
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025
Registration: 8:15-8:45 a.m.
Conference: 8:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical School, 215 Fitchburg St., Marlborough, MA 01752, or via Zoom
WHAT:
A hybrid conference — One Pill Can Kill (and Other Youth Substance Dangers) — will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical School and via Zoom for those who wish to participate remotely. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Participants will learn the increased danger of today’s drugs, best practices for educating students, and new evidence-based, individualized addiction treatment approaches.
A behavioral psychopharmacologist will discuss how drugs are used alone and in combination, the novel route of administration, such as vaping, and the appearance of very potent and lethal synthetic opioids like fentanyl and its cousins.
A health educator will also examine the current trends in adolescent recreational intoxication, focusing on how drugs like alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, and fentanyl are impacting today’s youth.
Speakers will also discuss the intersection between mental/behavioral health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Framework.
At MPY’s hybrid conference, speakers include:
- Scott E. Lukas, Ph.D., the Director of the McLean Imaging Center, the Behavioral Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory, and the McLean Sleep Diagnostic and Treatment Laboratory, and a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
- Brian N. O’Keefe, MSCJA, the first full-time Community Outreach Specialist for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- Shanyn Toulouse, DNP, M.Ed., R.N., NCSN, the Northeast Regional School Nurse Consultant
- Greg West, M.Ed., a retired health education teacher of 30-plus years who has designed and implemented middle and high school Comprehensive Health Education programs as well as courses in emergency medicine
In-person registration for the event has closed, but virtual registration remains open on MPY’s website, mpyinc.org, until 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 13. To register for a webinar or conference, use the “Webinars & Conferences” tab at the top of the website, or click here to register for the Jan. 14 conference.
Every MPY conference is recorded and available to registered participants through a link that remains live for 10 days.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved Professional Development Points (PDPs) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered at no additional cost to participants who attend this conference and the Jan. 28 conference, Youth Mental Health and Social Media: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 150 webinars and over a dozen conferences.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com.
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