Held in the Ranchero Room.
If you have been to the Cottage Hospital ER lately, you know that Santa Barbara is not immune to the opiate epidemic facing our nation. Join us for a presentation by ER doctor and medical director of the Santa Barbara non-profit organizations Doctors Without Walls – Jason Prystowsky, MD, MPH – entitled, “The American Opiate Epidemic: Understanding the crossroads of public health, clinical medicine, law enforcement, mental illness, substance abuse, and political will.”
Jason will:
• Look at the history of the opiate epidemic and provide insight into how it has gotten so bad
• Look at public health, the psychology of addiction, and health policy that has fueled the epidemic
• Look at some other models, like Portugal, where the emphasis has been made to de-criminalize drug use and increase access to substance abuse and detox resources
• Offer advice on how we can help friends or family grappling with addiction
• Discuss ways that people can encourage lawmakers to help shift opiate addiction from a criminal justice model to a public health model to save lives and improve access to care.
Jason Prystowsky is currently an emergency physician at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. He is faculty at University of California at Santa Barbara, the coordinator of Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine (DWW-SBSM) annual UCSB underserved medicine course, the faculty adviser for UCSB Street Health Outreach and the UCSB chapter for Global Medical Brigades, and the medical director for Santa Barbara City Fire Department. He currently is the team leader for the DWW-SBSM communications and the medical director.
Suggested donation: $15. RSVP to sbSPARC@gmail.com. Space is limited so a RSVP is encouraged. There will be no-host bar so arrive early to place your drink order. Feel free to extend this invitation to others and request their RSVP.