Ohio University Chillicothe to host prevention conference

Ohio University Chillicothe will host Project Get Smart…About Prevention: The Southcentral Ohio Prevention Conference March 2-3, 2023.

Social workers, counselors, chemical dependency counselors, teachers, law enforcement officials, healthcare professionals and others involved interested in creating a safe and healthy community are invited to attend the free conference, which will take place in Bennett Hall on the campus of Ohio University Chillicothe.

This conference is made possible through a partnership between Ohio University Chillicothe’s Department of Social Work, the HOPE Partnership Project, and First Capital Cornerstone of Change, with financial support from Ohio Center for Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion. Depending on which sessions they attend, participants may earn up to 14 continuing education credits at no cost. Conference sessions begin at 8 a.m. 

“We invite our colleagues and communities to join this important conversation about how we create communities that are equipped to prevent problems, not just react to them,” said organizer Stacey Saunders-Adams, assistant professor of social work at OHIO Chillicothe. “It’s time for us to unite our efforts and resources to change the trajectory for our region.”

Michelle Muffett-Lipinski, principal of the Northshore Recovery High School in Beverly, Massachusetts, will present the keynote address at 8 a.m. on March 2, 2023. Licensed as a science teacher, principal/director, special education director, and superintendent, Muffet-Lipinski has served as a school board member and is currently a city councilor in Dover, NH. She has more than 25 years of experience as a principal/director in alternative school settings.  Muffet-Lipinski is a recovery advocate and will continue to search for ways to help ease and eventually solve the addiction and opioid epidemic locally and nationally.   

Muffett-Lipinski speaks around the country about the philosophy and mission of creating adolescent substance use and mental health recovery supports in academic settings. She has played a leadership role in helping her staff develop authentic performance assessments and upholding high academic standards for students with significant risk factors. Due to her unique perspective on these issues, Muffett-Lipinski and her students have been featured on ABC, CNN, NBC, NECN, Anderson Cooper, and Current TV as well as other media outlets across the country, most recently MTV's 16andRecovering.   

For more information, and to register for the conference, please visit the conference website.