[Reminder] The Opioid Epidemic and Adult Education

The Opioid Epidemic and Adult Education
Interview followed by a discussion thread
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2019
Time: 9:00am ET 

The opioid epidemic is a national public health emergency. The Department of Education is working to combat the opioid epidemic, its effect on adult learners and adult education settings, and to support the needs of instructors.

Description
Join the LINCS Community’s Career Pathways, Health Literacy, and Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes Groups for an interview and discussion activity that will address the epidemic from multiple vantage points. An overview of the epidemic will lead into a discussion of resources for educators in identifying challenges, wrap-around services, and program supports intended to assist learners impacted by the epidemic and serve as additional resources to help local programs facilitate learners’ successful program completion and transition into postsecondary or career pathways and sustainable employment.

This activity will 

  • identify best practices for working with local public offices and employers, 
  • introduce funding programs that are relevant to adult education programs (including National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grant funding), and 
  • examine examples of employers and job training programs that are working with recovering addicts to help them maintain their sobriety while they also enhance their employable skill set.

Target Audience(s) 
Adult educators, program managers, and workforce development stakeholders. 

Target Population(s)
The adult education community’s implementation of this activity’s learnings and lessons will benefit diverse populations, including – and especially – those adult learners directly and indirectly affected by the opioid crisis. 

Presenter(s)
Jeffrey Abramowitz, J.D Executive Director of Reentry Services for JEVS Human Services;
Paul Jurmo, Ed. D, Adult Educator; and Dr. Richard Bruno, M.D. Family Physician.

Moderator(s)
Mike Cruse, moderator of the Career Pathways Group and the Disabilities and Equitable Outcomes Group, and Kathy Tracey, moderator of the Health Literacy Group, will facilitate this activity.

Featured Resources
Yes I Can: A Mental Health Guide for Adult Literacy Facilitators 
Confronting the Opioid Crisis in The United States
Implications of Substance/Opioid Misuse and Addiction for the Workforce Development System 
NaloxoneInfo.org Case Studies: Resources to Assist in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic 
WorkforceGPS: Resources to Assist in Fighting the Opioid Epidemic  
National Health Emergency (NHE) Dislocated Worker Demonstration Grant 

Pre-activity
Participants will be asked to visit LINCS and familiarize themselves with the resources available in the Project Care website.

Participation Instructions
To participate in this activity, attendees must be a member of the LINCS Community and a member of a host group. (Current Community and group members can simply log in to their account.) To participate: 

  1. Join the LINCS Community
  2. Join one of the host groups:
  3. Access the group’s discussion thread:

Post Activity/Follow-up Materials
A summary of the activity, as well as any follow-up materials, will be posted in the online discussion post-activity thread after it concludes.

The LINCS Team