Community Health to feature ‘Understanding Addiction’

Wendy Doolittle, CEO of McKinley Hall of Springfield, will be one of the presenters of the upcoming Break for Health webinar, "Understanding Addiction," presented by Community Health Foundation. Contributed photo

Wendy Doolittle, CEO of McKinley Hall of Springfield, will be one of the presenters of the upcoming Break for Health webinar, "Understanding Addiction," presented by Community Health Foundation. Contributed photo

In its next ‘Break for Health’ webinar, the Community Health Foundation (CHF) will explore a problem that affects people suffering from it but also those around them.

“Understanding Addiction (and how you can help)” will gather a panel of local health professionals offering tips to help someone dealing with a variety of addictions. The presentation will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 on Zoom and is free to join.

The program will look at all aspects of dealing with addiction including interventions, prevention and treatment, including how to stage an intervention that works. Addiction is also a timely issue as the pandemic has seen some people relapsing into addictive habits or formed a new one.

“This is a disease, not a choice,” said Diane Van Auker, CHF project coordinator. “It’s a very frustrating problem, especially to families. We’re excited to have such a diverse group of presenters recruited by Joan Elder who will be on our panel and who care about the community and helping understand addiction.”

Presenters will include Wendy Doolittle of McKinley Hall; Sheri Haines of Mercy REACH; Melanie Silvus of Families of Addicts; Frank Guera of Al-Anon; Preston Moore of Columbus Springs; Beth Dixon of Wellspring; and Dina Rulli-Heaphey of the Youth Advisory Council.

Nettie Carter Smith will return as moderator. She keeps the energy flowing during these webinars according to Van Auker.

This is the fourth in the Break for Health series, which are presented bimonthly. The CHF staff has received a positive response to previous programs, which have included heart health, winter wellness and breast health, encouraging them to extend the series beyond its initial three scheduled. They are designed to be seasonal and the next webinar in June will focus on fun and safety for outdoor activities.

“This has been an engaging and effective way to share information with the community. We hope the community finds it helpful,” Van Auker said.

To join Thursday’s webinar, preregister at CHF’s website.

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