Virtual meeting
Via Zoom
Description
The holiday season can be challenging and stressful when trying to navigate the pressures associated with this time of the year. For many, alcohol consumption significantly increases between Thanksgiving and New Year's for a variety of reasons, including family dynamics, increased social gatherings, holiday traditions, and increased feelings of loneliness, sadness, or isolation. This training will review strategies on how to avoid or reduce alcohol consumption, as well as discuss techniques for how to talk about one’s alcohol use during a particularly stressful time of year.
Intended audience
Providers, nurses, social workers, psychologists, peer supports, other clinical staff, and non-clinicians.
Speakers
Judith Austin, MSN, PMHNP-BC, CARN-AP (she/her)
Judith is a clinical nurse educator for or Boston Medical Center's (BMC) Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance and a board certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who has a private practice and works at an inpatient substance use disorder treatment facility. Judith earned her master’s in nursing from Regis College and is certified as a Certified Addiction Registered Nurse – Advanced Practice (CARN-AP) through the Addictions Nursing Certification Board.
Azure Bergeron, BSN, RN, CARN (she/her)
Azure is a registered nurse at Boston Medical Center with over 20 years of experience in trauma and intensive care. She is a graduate of the Grayken Addiction Nursing Fellowship program, where she received specialized training in caring for patients with Substance Use Disorder and co-occurring disorders. Azure holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and has various certifications, including Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (CARN), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Trauma Care After Resuscitation (TCAR).
Amy Fitzpatrick, MD (she/her)
Amy is an assistant professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and a primary care physician in the Women's Health Group at Boston Medical Center. She also conducts clinical research in addiction medicine and serves as an expert consultant for MCSTAP, the Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain. In her role at Boston Medical Center, she works in the Office-Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) clinic and attends the Inpatient Addiction Consult Service for four weeks per year. Dr. Fitzpatrick's other interests include medical student and resident education, and she is board-certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine.
Al Ortiz, CARC (he/him)
Al is a man in recovery and a certified recovery coach with seven years of experience working in the addiction field. He is also a consultant with Boston Medical Center's (BMC) Grayken Center for Addiction Training and Technical Assistance. As the program manager of Recovery Support Services at the Holyoke Health Center, he is privileged to work in the same community in which he lives, and to identify himself as part of the population he serves. As a father and advocate for his community, he is passionate about educating others and considers it a gift to wake up each day excited to support and inspire change within his community.
Objectives
At the end of this training, participants will have the knowledge necessary to:
- Discuss potential causes for why alcohol consumption increases during the holiday season.
- List at least three interventions to reduce the harm of alcohol consumption.
- Identify strategies for how to discuss alcohol use, reduced consumption strategies, and avoidance of triggers.
Sponsored by
Boston Medical Center Grayken Center for Addiction TTA, Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (DPH/BSAS)
Funding for out of state attendees is provided by the Opioid Response Network (ORN).
Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI085588-02 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Accreditation information
Please read the Accreditation Information section of the training page to learn about the requirements for receiving credit or a certificate of completion.
