The growing problem of methamphetamine and overall substance abuse in Appalachia will be the theme of a major health conference in 2006 hosted by the College of Public and Allied Health at East Tennessee State University.
The event is slated for March 20-22 at The Centre at Millennium Park and will address community approaches to the problem of drug abuse, prevention options, funding strategies and coalition building.
Conference organizers will encourage applications from community teams comprised of individuals representing the agencies, offices and groups that cope with the effects of substance abuse, particularly methamphetamine production.
“Methamphetamine use devastates communities through human and environmental degradation and is a major threat to the health of the public,” said Dr. Creg Bishop, interim dean of Public and Allied Health at ETSU. “This conference will emphasize a whole-community approach to substance abuse problems with the goal of assisting each team to complete a take-home action plan.”
Bruce Behringer, ETSU assistant vice president for Rural and Community Health and Community Partnerships, convened a planning workshop this fall that brought together individuals from various stakeholder groups.
This group concluded that the problem affects entire communities and requires greater awareness and the sharing of proven prevention and treatment methods.
“No one owns this problem – no discipline, no individual, no community,” Behringer said. “By bringing people together, we can see intersections and gather different opinions that could bring about resolutions and strategies that work.”
Application forms for scholarships and conference registration will be distributed in December. The number of attendees will be limited. For more information, e-mail methconference@etsu.edu or call 439-7658.

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