On September 23rd from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, The Opioid Response Network (ORN) in partnership with The Recovery Advocacy Project and Mobilize Recovery hosted a regional summit at the historical Miracle Theatre located at 538 8th Street, S.E. Washington D.C. 20003.
9:00am – 9:30am
Dr. Barbara Bazron, Director, DC Dept of Behavioral Health
Opening Remarks
9:30am – 10:50am
Dr. Deborah Rose
Neurobiology of Addiction: Understanding the Brain to Support Recovery
This talk will discuss the brain-based mechanisms that drive addiction and influence the path to recovery. Dr. Deborah Rose, a behavioral neurologist, breaks down how changes in reward, stress, and executive function circuits contribute to compulsive substance use, and how those same circuits can be reshaped through treatment, connection, and recovery. The goal is to offer a deeper understanding of what people struggling with addiction are up against, and how we can better support their recovery. Addiction is not a failure of willpower, but a treatable brain disease with multiple pathways to healing.
Break – 10mins
11:00am – 12:20pm
Dr. Shekila Melchior
A Somatic Approach to Treating Co-Occurring Disorders
This session explores how somatic approaches can enhance treatment for individuals navigating substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. Attendees will learn how the autonomic nervous system shapes symptoms and how trauma manifests in the body. The presenter will introduce Somatic Experiencing as a modality, with an emphasis on integrating somatic practices into culturally responsive care. Participants will also engage in brief experiential activities to gain practical tools for supporting clients on their healing journey.
Lunch 12:20 – 1pm
1pm – 2pm
Anna Mable Jones, Donald Whitehead and Mark Lassiter
Recovery Panel: Avenues to Recovery
Break – 10mins
2:10pm – 2:45pm
Live Long DC
Opioid Strategy Group Lead Reports
2:45pm – 3pm
Chad Jackson
Opioid Abatement, Innovations in Recovery
3pm – 4pm
Paolo del Vecchio, former Director, Dept of Recovery, SAMHSA
Recovery Finds A Way
Hope is the catalyst of our individual and collective recovery journeys. How can we nurture and grow hope for those we work with and for ourselves particularly during challenging times? How can we model and mentor others to foster hope and recovery? Are there universal and selected approaches with specific populations? This session will explore these and other questions in an interactive and narrative format. Find out how you can keep hope alive!
4pm – 4:30pm
Opioid Response Network
Closing Remarks
