TACOMA, WA -- Addiction treatment programs and professionals across the state will be honored at the Washington State Institute on Addictions Treatment. The annual meeting is being held on June 27 - 29 at the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel.

The year's theme is "Partnerships for Recovery: Meeting the Challenge." The meeting is sponsored by the state Department of Social and Health Services' Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse.

The goal of the annual meeting is to educate professionals in the fields of drug addiction, child welfare, mental health, education, corrections, and medical care about the needs of hard-to-reach clients and how to address other problems that contribute to drug use disorders. People with addiction disorders often have mental health issues or are survivors of childhood trauma or domestic violence.

The Institute opened Wednesday, June 27, with a keynote address by Dr. Westley Clark, director of the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Other national presenters during the three-day Institute include;Dr. Fred Dyer of Dyer Trains, and Dr. Joan Zweben, Executive Director, 14th Street Clinic and East Bay Community Recovery Project, Berkeley, California.

Neil Scott, a radio talk show host, will broadcast his "Recovery Coast to Coast" program live during the Institute, and will emcee the awards banquet Wednesday night. The awards honor exemplary people and programs around the state.

Among the programs and people being honored this year are:

Lifetime Youth Service Award

Dean Braxton, Seattle

Outstanding Collaborator

Sharon Estee, Olympia, Director, Washington State Screening, Brief intervention, Referral and Treatment (WASBIRT)

Innovative Adult Program- Hepatitis AIDS Substance Abuse Program (HASAP)

Rodslyn Kenney, Chemical Dependency Professional (CDP), Seattle

Steven Sharp, CDP, Spokane

Javier Galindo, CDP, Yakima

Barbara McHenry, CDP, Tacoma

Katherine McDougall, CDP, Vancouver

Innovative Youth Program

Spokane County, cited for Spokane's Youth Treatment Provider Network

The Institute will feature more than 43 workshops on a wide range of topics -- ethics, improving services for people with disabilities, treatment services for pregnant and parenting women, Criminal Justice, Infectious Diseases, and Evidenced-Based Practices.

This year the Institute will participate in the 13th National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) to encourage at-risk individuals to get HIV counseling and testing. The event will be locally sponsored by Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department, Pierce County AIDS Foundation and Community Healthcare Clinic. A HIV testing reception will be held from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.

EDITORS: The Institute is open to the public. For more information, visit the Web site at http://casat.unr.edu/DASA or call 1-877-301-4557.