Summit at Golden Nugget aims to improve recovery efforts

The Mississippi Department of Health and the state Public Health Institute are hosting a first of its kind recovery summit this Friday in Biloxi.

“Every Response Matters: Building Pathways to Recovery in Mississippi” will bring together more than 200 healthcare providers, law enforcement officers, and community leaders.

They’ll discuss ways to strengthen treatment and recovery efforts for Mississippians facing substance use disorder. Jan Dawson with Mississippi Public Health Institute said, “Well, number one, I think everybody wants to think it’s somebody else’s problem, but it’s not. It’s an issue for all of us. I know very few people in my life that at some point in time have been touched by a family member that was involved in substance use or a behavioral health crisis. So, we want to make sure that when those things do happen, you know what your response is. Who do you reach out to? How do you provide that compassionate hand to lead someone along the path they need for help? But our biggest, I think our biggest goal for this conference is to get everybody talking.”

Registration and breakfast begin at 7:30 Friday morning followed by a full day of panel discussions.