KYSOS Attends “A Big Bet Against Overdoses” Conference in West Virginia

The Rockefeller Foundation and McChrystal Group held a conference titled “A Big Bet Against Overdoses” that focused on creating a coalition of multidisciplinary leaders across Appalachia to integrate and enhance the effectiveness of efforts to end the overdose epidemic on October 10-11 in Huntington, W.V. Goals of the symposium included sharing of perspectives and cross state collaboration from multiple disciplines including physicians and other healthcare workers, first responders, law enforcement, community leaders and legislators.  Participants discussed the full spectrum of the polysubstance use epidemic including countermeasures against drug supply and demand, access to treatment for substance use disorder, recovery and harm reduction efforts, policymaking and sharing resources in Appalachia. Four star retired General Stan McChrystal founded the McChrystal Group and offered his expertise and experience in coordinating military campaigns and business strategy.

Attendees included representatives from Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Kentucky healthcare leaders Connie White, M.D., DPH Deputy Commissioner, Allen Brenzel, M.D., Medical Director of Ky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) and Katherine Marks, Ph.D, Commissioner (DBHDID) were among those in attendance. Speakers included Matt Christiansen, M.D., WV State Health Officer and Commissioner of the WV Department of Health, Dr. Tim Jones, Chief Medical Officer Tennessee Dept. of Health, Van Ingram, Director of Ky Office of Drug Control Policky, Anne Ickes, M.D., Emergency and Addiction Medicine Virginia, Caitlyn Hood, Ph.D., Project Director KORE (Kentucky Opioid Response Effort), Dr. Lyn O’Connell of Marshall University School of Medicine, Chief  Shawn Schwertfeger, Chief of Police Wheeling, W.V., Connie Priddy, Director of Quality Compliance/Cabell County Emergency Medical Services and Program coordinator of Huntington Quick Response Team,  Sonia Chambers, Executive Director of W.V. Health Information Network and  Brittney Grant, Sr. Director of Public Safety Engagement and Strategy at Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI). The McChrystal Group in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation emphasized the importance of a coordinated approach, i.e. a “Team of Teams” to ending the overdose epidemic throughout central Appalachia. They plan to reconvene the group to provide progress reports and continue interstate communication and team-building in the future.