PENDLETON, Ore.-A summit on behavioral health, addiction, and community opioid response is September 24-25 at the Pendleton Convention Center.
The Eastern Oregon in Action: Behavioral Health and Community Opioid Response Summit will bring together healthcare professionals, community leaders and advocates to examine behavioral health and substance use challenges.
“In Eastern Oregon, collaboration isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential,” said Kara Pattinson, Medical Director for Community Counseling Solutions. “When organizations and communities come together, we can build stronger connections, improve access to care, and develop solutions that truly reflect the needs of the people and communities we serve.”
The free, two-day event is a partnership between the City of Pendleton, Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc (GOBHI), Community Counseling Solutions (CCS), and the Opioid Response Network.
The summit will focus on gaps that can prevent people from accessing behavioral health and substance use services and how communities can work together to help fill those gaps.
“This summit is about getting the right people in the same room, looking honestly at where our system is working and where people are still falling through the gaps, and turning that conversation into action,” said Kati Jokinen, GOBHI SUD Coordinator.
According to the City of Pendleton, summit sessions will explore housing instability and co-occurring conditions, treatment and jail systems and the challenges created when people encounter fragmented or “siloed” systems.
The Eastern Oregon in Action Summit starts at 8 a.m. on September 24, with sessions highlighting local services, lived experiences and a look at where gaps exist in systems and how people fall through the cracks, scheduled for the first day.
The day’s formal program sessions end at 4:15 p.m., followed by “Appetizers & Conversations,” an informal networking and discussion time from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m.
“We know that lasting change happens through collaboration, and we hope participants leave with new relationships, fresh perspectives, and practical strategies they can bring back to their communities,” said Sarah Canavese, Regional Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for Region 10 of the Opioid Response Network.
Friday’s sessions also start at 8 a.m. and will go beyond discussion toward action.
Participants will engage in a live Community Access Assessment, examining services from both personal and community perspectives, before working together to map resources and discuss opportunities for future action.
A community share-out highlighting the range of experiences from barriers to potential solutions that were identified during the event will end the summit, according to the City of Pendleton.
“Our goal isn’t simply to have another meeting,” said Jokinen. “It’s to leave with stronger partnerships, clearer priorities, and concrete next steps that improve how people in our communities access help when they need it.”
Registration for the Eastern Oregon in Action Summit is now closed, however, there should be room for additional people to attend, according to event organizers.
