Regional Center Hosted Events
The Great Lakes ROTA-RC offers a virtual learning community featuring opioid & other substance use, as well as mental health, treatment, and recovery education events for professionals, para-professionals, volunteers, and students in a variety of fields supporting the Great Lakes community. These virtual learning opportunities will be hosted by Great Lakes ROTA-RC’s Cooperative Extension partners in Region 5, and feature a range of experienced professionals.
Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmakers
Inheritance
INHERITANCE explores the underlying causes of the opioid epidemic in America through the life of one boy and five generations of his extended family over 11 years. Curtis, a bright and hopeful 12 year-old, grows up surrounded by love and struggle while every adult in his family – parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – battle addiction. Curtis’s America is a country where people and communities are struggling with an epidemic of substance use disorder, joblessness, poverty, and a deteriorating sense of belonging.
Film Hosts (Filmmakers): Matt Moyer and Amy Toensing
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 12:00-2:00 PM CST/ 1:00-3:00 PM EST
Location: online webinar
Please contact Amanda Coorough (amanda.coorough@wisc.edu) with any questions
Impact of Stigma on Recovery in Professional Communities
Stigma surrounding drugs and the people who use them is ubiquitous, but it isn’t always recognized or understood. Research shows that substance use-related stigma is high among the general public, among treatment professionals, and even among people who use drugs themselves. The burden of stigma is a particular challenge for former, current, or aspiring professionals who face additional barriers related to hiring, promotion, and social engagement. In this session, we explore the impact of stigma on professional communities as well as evidence-based strategies to reduce it.
Presenter: Alex Elswick
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM-12:30 PM CST/ 12:30-1:30 PM EST
Location: online webinar
Please contact Amanda Coorough (amanda.coorough@wisc.edu) with any questions
Horizon’s High School: A Recovery School
Horizon High School is a traditional high school that offers support for students recovering from substance abuse. It was founded in 2004 by Dane County residents who wanted to provide a safe place for teens to go to school after treatment. The school has had several locations, including 5003 University Avenue, which was flooded in 2014.
Horizon High School supports students academically, mentally, and emotionally. It offers group therapy, life skills, and summer school.
Presenter: Traci Goll and Lived Experience Teen(s)
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Time: 1:30 AM-2:30 PM CST/ 2:30-3:30 PM EST
Location: online webinar
Please contact Amanda Coorough (amanda.coorough@wisc.edu) with any questions
Grief Through Different Lenses: Survivors and Communities
Coming Soon…
Focus will be on opioid deaths and impact on grief and then a program that supports children through grief.
Presenters: Dr. Allison Schlosser and Nicole Barnes
Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Time: TBC
Location: online webinar
Please contact Kelly Cabral (cabral.48@osu.edu) with any questions
About the Presenters
Alex Elswick, PhD joined the Department of Family Sciences in 2020 as an Assistant Extension Professor for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. He began his journey with the department as a graduate student in 2015, where he earned his Masters and PhD and later served Family and Consumer Sciences Extension as an Extension Associate and as an Extension Specialist. Using this experience, Dr. Elswick’s Extension emphasis focuses on equipping Extension to build recovery capital in the community. Dr. Elswick’s research agenda examines long-term recovery from substance use disorder. In particular, much of his research examines recovery capital, an assets-based approach to understanding addiction recovery. As co-founder of a Lexington-based non-profit organization called Voices of Hope, Dr. Elswick is a tireless advocate for people with substance use disorder. He works to promote long-term recovery by providing education in the community, reducing stigma, and studying the effectiveness of recovery support services.
