Dr. Davina A. Moss-King

FREDONIA — The 2019 Hope and Healing Conference of Western New York (WNY) will be held Wednesday and Thursday at the Williams Center on the campus of the State University at Fredonia, 280 Central Ave., Fredonia.

Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and the program concludes at 4:30 p.m. both days. The two-day event will include speakers, wellness tables and educational workshops on mental health and chemical dependency topics in Chautauqua County and the region.

Hope & Healing of WNY will feature two keynote speakers. On day one, Davina Moss-King, Ph.D., will present The New Millennium: Providing Hope and Healing While Simultaneously Treating Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health. On day two, Emma Fabian of Evergreen Health will present Nothing About Us Without Us-The Crucial Role of Persons with Lived Experience in Shaping Programs and Communities That Serve Them.

“Effective solutions to substance abuse problems in Chautauqua County require all of us to come together with a community based approach to evaluate where we are and how we can become more effective in reversing the problem of drug abuse in Chautauqua County,” said Patricia Brinkman, county director of community mental hygiene services in the county’s Mental Hygiene Department. “These are multifaceted issues facing each of us either within our families, or through our profession and will require innovative strategies that involve law enforcement, treatment programs, crisis services, prevention efforts, and recovery supports. The Hope and Healing of WNY Regional Conference will include presentations to guide the community’s role in continuing prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts while incorporating the importance of mental health and other wellness topics.”

Other presentations and workshops throughout the two-day event will include overdose prevention and Narcan administration, medical assisted treatment for substance use disorders, mindfulness, harm reduction and other topics to inform and promote wellness in the community. Presenters will highlight local resources, programs, and other initiatives in prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Organizations involved include SUNY Fredonia’s Division of Advancement, Engagement, and Economic Development; Western Regional Addiction Resource Collaborative; Tobacco Free Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany; Chautauqua Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council (CASAC); HOPE Chautauqua; Chautauqua Tapestry; Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene; Chautauqua County Department of Health & Human Services; Mental Health Association; Evergreen Health; and Addiction Response Ministries.

The event is open to the public, and registration is required. Lunch and refreshments for both days is included in the registration fee of $40. To register for the Hope and Healing Conference of WNY, call the CASAC office at 664-3608.