Huntington Times

The 2024 Bridges Community Coalition Building Conference will be held on Monday, Aug. 5, at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia. The event is hosted by the Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recovery, West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, and West Virginia Prevention Solutions.

"Community coalitions can be catalysts or agents of change at the local, regional and even state levels," said Dr. Tammy Collins, associate director for the Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recovery. "They are positioned to bring about culturally appropriate social and environmental change to improve the health of their communities," she said, adding that "the strength of community coalitions is in the engagement of members from diverse sectors of the community working toward a common goal."

“Supporting community coalitions in West Virginia is so important because prevention coalitions are out there striving to improve behavioral health for all our kids and families,” Collins continued. “That is a big job that individuals and single organizations cannot achieve by themselves. But when all sectors of the community work together, it can make a big difference in the health of our neighbors and neighborhoods.”

The conference will feature three key highlights:

- Engaging the recovery community

- Engaging the faith community

- Improving coalition communications and sustainability

This conference aims to bring together national and local experts on community and youth engagement to further equip West Virginia coalitions and other organizations with tools for building effective youth and adult coalitions within today's public health and socio-political environments. “Working together is the key,” said Mary Newlyn, executive director of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance.

“A successful coalition does not exist without collaboration,” Newlyn stated. “The West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance is honored to lead by example, as we collaborated with the Marshall University Center of Excellence for Recovery and West Virginia Prevention Solutions to provide an annual conference for community coalition members. Presenters will cover a range of topics to provide additional support to those engaged in the work.”

Attendees who complete an evaluation and learning check will be eligible for a certificate for six Continuing Education credits (CEs), pending approval from the West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction & Prevention Professionals. Additionally, CEs for Addictions & Prevention and Social Work are pending approval.

To register or learn more, visit the conference website at https://mubridges.org/.

This conference is supported partly by FFY 2023 Congressional Directive Spending Projects FG-22-099 SAMSHA Grant and the West Virginia Collegiate Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success Initiative SAMHSA Grant Project awarded to Marshall University Research Corporation.

For more information or questions about the conference, contact Austin Persinger, MSI Appalachian Youth Program Director at persingera@marshall.edu.

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