ETSU TO HOST FORUM ON METH PROBLEM

The growing problem of methamphetamine and overall substance abuse in
Appalachia will be the theme of a major health conference hosted by
the College of Public and Allied Health at East Tennessee State University.

The event is slated for March 20-22 at the Centre at Millennium Park.
Organizers hope to come up with community approaches to handling the
problem of drug abuse, including prevention options, funding
strategies and coalition building.

Community agencies that have an interest in confronting the problem of
meth abuse and production are encouraged to apply for scholarships to
attend the conference.

"Methamphetamine use devastates communities through human and
environmental degradation and is a major threat to the health of the
public," said Dr. Creg Bishop, interim dean of Public and Allied
Health. "This conference will emphasize a whole-community approach to
substance abuse problems with the goal of assisting each team to
complete a take-home action plan."

Support from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the federal Office
of Rural Health Policy and the Southeast Public Health Training Center
at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, will be used to
offer competitive scholarships to qualifying team members who attend
the conference.

Bruce Behringer, ETSU assistant vice president for rural and community
health and community partnerships, convened a planning workshop in
August that brought together individuals from various stakeholder
groups, including public safety, government, mental health, public
health, medicine, environmental protection and the media.

This group concluded that the problem affects entire communities and
requires greater awareness and the sharing of proven prevention and
treatment methods.

"No one owns this problem - no discipline, no individual, no
community," Behringer said. "By bringing people together, we can see
intersections and gather different opinions that could bring about
resolutions and strategies that work."

Application forms for scholarships and conference registration will be
distributed this month. The number of attendees will be limited. For
more information, send an e-mail to methconference@etsu.edu or call
439-7658.