Rx and Illicit Drug Summit 2024

The overdose epidemic continues to have devastating consequences for communities across the United States. In 2021, there were more than 106,000 drug-involved overdoses, over 75% of which involved a synthetic opioid. At the 2024 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Atlanta, GA, more than 3,000 experts across the spectrum of the overdose crisis will gather for the largest and most influential substance use research event of the year to share their latest strategies, innovations, and success stories. The 4-day conference will feature hundreds of sessions and poster presentations focused on improving substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery. 

RTI experts are excited to attend this year’s Rx Summit to network with researchers, practitioners, public health officials, and more. Mark your calendar for an oral session on the associations between opioid misuse, parenting behaviors, and child outcomes on April 3, which features RTI’s Elizabeth Adams, PhD. In addition, stop by the exhibit hall to view RTI’s poster presentation on the impact of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) state-based grants on substance use and misuse through support of local sites. 

Opioid Use and Parenting Behaviors: Uplifting Families to Ensure Optimal Outcomes for Children and Adolescents 
Wed, April 3 | 12:45 – 2:00PM ET 
Moderator: John Dreyzehne, MD (Tennessee Department of Health)
Presenters: Camille Cioffi, PhD (Oregon Research Institute); Elizabeth Troutman Adams, PhD; Gracelyn Cruden, PhD (Chestnut Health Systems)

The overdose crisis disproportionately impacts people during their prime years for growing a family. This session will summarize recent findings on associations between parent opioid misuse and substance use disorders (SUD), parenting behaviors, and child outcomes and highlight promising intervention strategies to support families impacted by SUD. 

Dr. Adams will review findings from an analysis of parent-child dyad data collected through the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Results show an estimated 3.95% of fathers and 3.73% of mothers reported past-year opioid misuse. The presenter will report on associations between parent-reported opioid misuse and child-reported parenting behaviors (e.g., checking on homework and talking about substance use). Dr. Cioffi will present data on the interface between substance use, mental health, and parenting in a sample of parents receiving treatment for SUD. She will contextualize the mental health-parenting-substance use associations in a sample of fathers and a sample of postpartum mothers. She will summarize best practices based on learnings from the Family Check-Up Online for rural parents at risk for substance misuse and the Fathering in Recovery interventions. Dr. Cruden will discuss a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of an evidence-based intervention for parents involved with child welfare due to substance use. PRE-FAIR (Families Actively Improving Relationships) retains FAIR’s core components, including evidence-based in-vivo parenting coaching, contingency management, and cognitive-behavioral strategies, and supports addressing poor social determinants of health. She will describe multi-level implementation strategies that supported the achievement of a 100% pre-implementation activity completion rate. 

Experiences of State-Based COSSUP Grantees Supporting Local Jurisdictions Response to Substance Use and Misuse
Presenter: Sarah Laskowitz 
Authors: Heidi Benstead, MS (University of Alabama); Pearl Evans, MAPL (Minnesota Department of Health); Sam Hurley, DrPH (Maine Emergency Medical Services); Peyton Attaway Scalise 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)-funded COSSUP promotes effective response to substance use and misuse to reduce overdose deaths, promote public safety, and increase treatment and recovery access in various sites across the United States. In 2019, COSSUP established the state based category, which awards funds to State Administrating Agencies responsible for directing criminal justice planning, the state alcohol and substance use agency, or other state agencies appropriate for the scope of the project. State grantees distribute their funding to local sites within their state, working alongside them to implement unique problems, develop implementation strategies, and form evaluation plans for programs. The specific aims and logistics of the programs can vary, but all programs are centered on the intersection of public health and public safety and address intervention across the criminal justice continuum. 

This breakout session will highlight how state-based grantees support their local sites in the COSSUP work, projects being implemented through the state-based grantees funding—both urban and rural—and how sites overcame challenges related to implementing these unique projects. This session will serve as a space to disseminate ideas, motivate members of both state and local agencies to develop their own projects to address substance use and misuse, and encourage innovation. Attendees will have three opportunities to view the poster, including April 1 from 5:30PM to 7:00PM, April 2 from 3:30PM to 4:15PM, and April 3 from 3:30PM to 4:15PM.

Read more about our evidence-based strategies to prevent, treat, and reduce the harms associated with substance use 

• The HEAL Initiative
• Naloxone Vending Machines—Combatting Opioid Overdoses Among High-Risk Populations
• The Integrated Services for Pain: Interventions to Reduce Pain Effectively (INSPIRE) Trial
• Study Suggests Law Enforcement Drug Seizures Could be Associated with Increase in Overdoses
• Impact of the California Harm Reduction Initiative 
• Using Real-Time Twitter Data to Track Trends in the Opioid Crisis
• The RTI Rarity™ Project: Next-Generation Health Equity Measurement & Analysis