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Great Lakes ATTC

University of Wisconsin–Madison
1513 University Avenue
Madison,
WI
53706
HHS Region 5
IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI
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The Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center (Great Lakes ATTC) is located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS).

We are funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide evidence-based technical assistance, training, and resources addressing the needs of the behavioral health workforce in Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

We work closely with the Great Lakes MHTTC and the Great Lakes PTTC, both of which are also based out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, CHESS.

Recent News

From the Great Lakes ATTC
Feb. 01, 2024
  First Lady Betty Ford's 1978 public statement about her alcohol use disorder played a major role in destigmatizing substance use disorders. Residential treatment facilities expanded exponentially to treat substance use disorders. The next several decades after the First Lady's public testimony, the nation experienced a crack and heroin crisis in metropolitan communities and a […]
Jan. 10, 2024
In the October 2022–September 2023 grant year, the Opioid Response Network (ORN) expanded existing community collaboration efforts to convene regional summits in each of the 10 HHS regions. Altogether, ORN convened 38 summits with a total of 1,623 participants. Great Lakes HHS Region 5 hosted four of these summits. The first summit was held in […]
Dec. 21, 2023
By: Kisha Freed and Mark Sanders  Ella Fitzgerald’s 1938 blues song, “When I Get Low, I Get High,” eloquently summarizes the medicinal role alcohol and other drugs have played for African Americans experiencing oppression, isolation, and depression (Sanders, Sanders and White, 2006). The first article of this three-part series discusses the cultural importance of spirituality […]

Upcoming Events

Hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC
Webinar/Virtual Training
While men’s addiction and mental health treatment has been quite successful, there is great room for improvement. This new framework, developed by Mr. Griffin and colleagues, integrates the latest thinking on addiction and recovery, relational cultural theory, male psychological development, and trauma. Current treatment models and theories fail to adequately consider the relational needs of men; often omit a clear understanding of the impact of the socialization process on men; fall short of adequately addressing the impact of abuse and trauma that is so strongly linked with addiction and the life of the male addict; and often ignore any social context and/or the consequences of political, social, and economic power.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Understand the core theories of this new framework of treatment for men. Have an understanding of how the four core areas of: Self, Relationships, Sexuality, and Spirituality impact a man’s recovery and key issues within each core area. Understand trauma as a defining and organizing experience that forms a recovering person’s sense of self and others.     CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.      TRAINER:   Dan Griffin, MA, is an internationally recognized author, thought leader, and expert on men’s relationships and masculinity. Dan has dedicated his life and work to exploring and redefining what it means to be a man in the 21st century. He is committed to helping men be better men by understanding the impact of the Man Rules on their lives. Dan also helps men find the success in their personal lives they are striving for in their professional ones. Griffin’s books and curricula are all focused on helping men and dads live their best lives. Dan served as a senior fellow at The Meadows, world-renowned experts treating addictive disorders and trauma, from 2015 to 2017. Dan earned a Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Kansas. For his graduate work, Dan completed the first qualitative study centered on the social construction of masculinity in the culture of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dan is in long-term recovery and lives with his family in Los Angeles   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
Webinar/Virtual Training
Many of the people we interact with are actively experiencing high levels of distress. This may be due to health conditions, poverty, family challenges, or other life stressors. The Creating Calm training series will focus on attendees’ experiences and provide concrete tools for engaging with clients in distress.   TRAINING SCHEDULE: April 3, 10 and 24 from 9am to 10am Central/10am to 11am Eastern Please note that we are skipping the week of April 17.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Participants will: Develop greater empathy and understanding related to distress Gain insight into their own reactions to distressed people Gain knowledge about the roots of particular kinds of distress Learn tools for responding to distress that will improve engagement Clarify risk and safety boundaries   CERTIFICATES Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   TRAINER Mat Roosa, LCSW-R Mat Roosa was a founding member of NIATx and has been a NIATx coach for a wide range of projects. He works as a consultant in the areas of quality improvement, organizational development, and evidence-based practices implementation. His experience includes direct clinical practice in mental health and substance use services, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and human service agency administration.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
Webinar/Virtual Training
This 6-hour stimulant training developed by the ATTC Network will provide an overview of the impact of stimulant drugs and current treatment options. The training will include information on the effects of stimulants on the brain and body and a range of data on national and regional trends related to stimulant use.   TRAINING SCHEDULE: Sessions will take place on April 3, 10, 17, and 24 from 10:30 AM–12:00 PM CT / 11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET. NOTE: Participants must attend all sessions in this series to receive NAADAC continuing education hours.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Understand national and regional trends in stimulant use Understand the impact of stimulants use on the brain and body Understand current best practices in treatment for stimulant use disorders Understand stimulant use in specific communities (e.g., rural communities & communities of color)   CONTINUING EDUCATION: Participants who fully attend this training series will receive a certificate for 6 NAADAC continuing education (CE) hours. NAADAC CE certificates will be emailed to eligible participants within two weeks after the conclusion of the training series.   TRAINER Mat Roosa, LCSW-R Mat Roosa was a founding member of NIATx and has been a NIATx coach for a wide range of projects. He works as a consultant in the areas of quality improvement, organizational development, and evidence-based practices implementation. His experience includes direct clinical practice in mental health and substance use services, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and human service agency administration.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

Products & Resources

Developed by the Great Lakes ATTC
Multimedia
    In this virtual panel presentation, the 2024 Hall of Fame Award Recipients from the Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment, and Recovery will participate in a panel presentation discussing the importance of providing culturally-responsive care and ways practitioners can be more effective when working with African American clients.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: By the end of this presentation, you will be able to: Work more effectively with African American clients Better provide cross-cultural care when working with African American clients Be guided by research on best practices when providing culturally-responsive care in your work with African American clients Articulate effective harm reduction strategies for African Americans with substance use disorders     PANELISTS:    Corrie Vilsaint, PhD Dr. Vilsaint is the associate director of recovery health equity at the Recovery Research Institute and an instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on addiction recovery capital, reducing discrimination among individuals in recovery, and racial health equity in remission and recovery. Dr. Vilsaint’s research is supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism, and her work as a community psychologist has been awarded by the American Psychological Association.     Fred Dyer, PhD, LADC Dr. Dyer is a practitioner, presenter, consultant, and writer specializing in providing culturally responsive treatment for African American adolescents, emerging adults, and emerging adult refugees. Dr. Dyer has over 100 scholarly publications on the treatment of mental health, substance use disorders, and co-occurring disorders for African American adolescents and emerging adults. He is also the executive director of Hope Recovery Center and a recipient of the key to the city for Laurel, Mississippi—an honor award to him by the city’s mayor in recognition of his innovative consultations and trainings on culturally responsive services for African American teenage girls in the justice system.     Chyrell Bellamy, PhD, MSW Dr. Bellamy is a professor at Yale University's Department of Psychiatry, and she also serves as director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, director of the Peer Support Services and Research, director of the Yale Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy, director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. Dr. Bellamy also co-designs and conducts community-based participatory research with communities of color and people living with psychiatric Illness, substance use disorders, HIV, homelessness, and incarceration histories. Her research also focuses on healthcare disparities, sociocultural pathways of recovery, and the development of culturally responsive interventions.   Representative La Shawn Ford Representative Ford is the representative of the 8th District of Illinois. He is founder of The Westside Heroin and Opioid Taskforce which serves as an innovative strategic model for creating recovery-oriented systems of care in underserved communities across the nation. The taskforce has mobilized over 33 organizations to work together in the community to reduce overdose and promote recovery on the west side of Chicago. These partners include persons with lived experience; the formerly incarcerated; recovery community organizations, substance use disorders and mental health treatment providers; mobile treatment providers; hospitals; and harm reduction specialists. Last year, the taskforce's work resulted in 2,000 fewer emergency calls for overdose thanks to the training it provided to over 3,300 community residents on the distribution and use of Narcan. The Westside Heroin and Opioid Taskforce was awarded the winner of the 2023 SAMHSA Behavioral Health Equity Challenge. Thanks to his dedicated service and contributions to the behavioral healthcare field, Representative Ford was named as the recipient of the Illinois Chapter of NAADAC's Advocate of the Year award and the Nelson Mandela Award for Justice.    Dr. Felecia Pullen Dr. Pullen is a qualitative researcher exploring structural racism's impact on attaining recovery capital for people of color with histories of drug use. Her research has resulted in the creation of MRCAT, an assessment tool for professionals who develop recovery plans in partnership with clients. Dr. Pullen is also the president and CEO of three organizations: Let's Talk Safety, a not-for profit teen led prevention program; The Pillars, Manhattan's first OASIS-funded recovery community and outreach center; and The SAFETY Net, a teen-designed club house in Harlem. Dr. Pullen's policy advocacy and activism has been widely recognized. She has also delivered numerous workshops on culturally responsive recovery.         MODERATORS:   Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC Mark Sanders is the Illinois state project manager for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC and PTTC. He is an international speaker and behavioral health consultant whose presentations and publications have reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, West Indies, Lithuania, and Guam. Mark is the recipient of four lifetime achievement awards, including NAADAC’s prestigious Enlightenment Award, the National Association for Addiction Professionals’ 50th Anniversary Legends Award, the Illinois Certification Board's Professional of the Year Award and Jessica Hayes Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Barbara Bacon Award for outstanding contributions to the social work profession as an alumnus of Loyola University of Chicago.    Kisha Freed, BA Kisha serves as an outreach program coordinator with CHESS BHE-TAC and has co-authored multiple blog series with Mark Sanders for the Great Lakes ATTC’s Counselors Corner blog. She is a certified professional coach with a special emphasis in emotional intelligence and mindful leadership. Utilizing her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Kisha has worked in her community helping people to get in touch with suppressed emotions through the creative arts, such as poetry writing, storytelling and hip hop and emotional intelligence online workshops. She is also an event host, public speaker, and performing spoken word poetry. She resides in Huntsville, AL with her two sons and two-year old granddaughter.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
Multimedia
    This webinar focuses on increasing knowledge among providers in the assessment and treatment of wounds as related to intravenous drug and xylazine use.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Explain opioid use disorder as a chronic illness. Increase level of comfort in the treatment and assessment of wound care as it relates to intravenous drug and Xylazine use. Share best practices for incorporating harm reduction philosophies and principles in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).     TRAINERS:   Nicole Gastala, MD   Dr. Gastala is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She graduated from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Iowa. In her clinical role, she has developed and expanded MAR by mentoring new prescribers, precepting residents, and training clinicians within the Chicago and Illinois communities.  She has also focused on the development of a walk-in integrated behavioral health, addiction, and primary care program within her FQHC system. In January 2021, Dr Gastala joined the team at the Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Division of IDHS as the medical director.     Michael Huyck, NP   Michael Huyck is a Family Nurse Practitioner at the UIH Mile Square Health Center and adjunct clinical assistant professor with the University of Illinois College of Nursing. His clinical role at Mile Square is focused on integrative substance use disorder treatment and primary care. His clinical interests involve decreasing barriers to addiction care, piloting evidenced based interventions to address problems specific to populations with SUD, and training future nurses to care for those experiencing addiction. He provides a full range of SUD treatment including buprenorphine and methadone within his practice. His current projects include wound care and ultrasound guided phlebotomy for people who inject drugs.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
Multimedia
  Substance use disorder is a biopsychosocial disease that impacts women differently than men. There are varying treatment approaches for men and women that are vital for effective treatment. Stigma continues to be a barrier for women accessing treatment and treatment providers offering care. Historically, women in the United States have had less access to treatment, and they still do today. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors may significantly affect a woman's ability to achieve long-term sobriety. This workshop will shed light on common emotional and physical differences experienced by women before, during, and after treatment as compared to their male counterparts. We will also discuss common treatment issues and considerations for clinicians, peers, law enforcement, family members, and more.   TRAINER Ashley Yassall, MPA, PMP Ashley's experience and education lie in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors. She has held various leadership positions in behavioral health and excels at project management, task execution, and her ability to improve organizations. Ashley is the Principal Consultant and Owner of Ashley Ryan Consulting LLC, a nonprofit-focused consulting firm supporting project management, compliance/accreditation, program evaluation, and other practice management needs. Ashley was previously the executive director at the Women’s Recovery Center (WRC) in Cleveland, Ohio. At WRC, she and the team increased revenue by 40% from 2018 to 2022 (from $700,000 to a $1.2 million budget). She led the organization to achieve the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in 2021. Ashley works part-time for Catholic Charities Corporation in Cleveland at Matt Talbot residential facility. Ashley is a CDCA (Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant in Ohio) and seeking her LCDC II (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II Licensure in Ohio) by the end of 2023. Ashley achieved her MPA from the University of North Carolina in August 2022. Ashley earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) credential in February 2023. Ashley is pursuing her Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) in 2024. Ashley holds a bachelor's in actuarial science/mathematics from The Ohio State University.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.
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