Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition Attends CADCA’s National Leadership Forum to Increase Substance Use and Misuse Prevention Efforts

(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – Representatives from the Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition virtually joined thousands of substance use and misuse prevention specialists and community coalition advocates from February 1-4, 2021, for CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s) 31st Annual National Leadership Forum.

 “Our coalition was honored to be part of CADCA’s National Leadership Forum,” said Jodi Salvo, ADC Coordinator. “During the week, we worked on building our skills and strategies to address substance misuse issues throughout Tuscarawas County. We also had the opportunity to meet directly with our state’s Congressional Representatives to advocate for the substance misuse prevention needs in our community and throughout the state.”

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is typically held in Washington, D.C. each February. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was transitioned to an online training experience, centered around the theme of “Every Day CADCA Trains: Community Coalition Advocates.” The four days of training encompass more than 150 unique training sessions for adults and youth on a wide range of topics–everything from preventing prescription misuse, to addressing electronic cigarette use and developing policies to reduce underage drinking. 

Forum attendees also had the chance to hear from some of the nation’s top prevention leaders, who served as speakers for the event. This year’s featured speakers included Gayathri J. Dowling, Ph.D., Director of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Project at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Robert L. DuPont, M.D., President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Caroline DuPont, M.D., Vice President of the Institute for Behavior and Health, Mark Gold, Ph.D., Emeritus Eminent Scholar and Distinguished Alumni Professor, Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC, Jo McGuire, Executive Director of the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, Bertha K. Madras, Ph.D., professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School, Dale Quigley, Deputy Coordinator of the National Marijuana Initiative, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, and many more. 

We look forward to utilizing the skills we learned through CADCA’s National Leadership Forum to further these initiatives and further our impact.

For more information on local prevention efforts and resources visit adctusc.org.