This week, we were present at a convening hosted by the Legal Action Center and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, bringing together national thought leaders for “Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Problems Through Early Identification and Intervention.”
The multi-disciplinary group of key stakeholders gathered to help identify policy solutions and strategies to help young people struggling with an addiction through early intervention, while examining opportunities to empower communities to respond to this critical health problem. Together, we discussed challenges, shared knowledge and explored opportunities for progress at the state and federal levels.
The Partnership’s Pat Aussem gave a presentation – based both on our data and on her personal experience as a parent and counselor – that outlined how parents move from recognition of their child’s substance use to a willingness to take effective action. Pat emphasized the implications of this process for prevention and intervention policies and messaging, including Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).