YAKIMA -- Successful addiction treatment programs and top professionals across the state will be recognized at the Washington State Institute on Addictions Treatment next week (June 25 - 27) at the Yakima Convention Center.

The year's theme is "A Recovery Journey, Basics and Beyond," which reflects the purpose of building and expanding Washington’s chemical dependency treatment workforce. The institute is sponsored by the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) in the Department of Social and Health Services' Health and Recovery Services Administration.

National and local experts in the field of chemical dependency will offer more than 50 workshops and plenary presentations for Washington professionals working in the fields of chemical dependency, child welfare, mental health, education, corrections, and medical care. Participants will learn how to connect hard-to-reach people with treatment, and how to help patients recover from conditions related to addiction, such as mental illness, childhood trauma and domestic violence.

The Institute opens at 8 a.m. on Wednesday (June 25) with a keynote address by Dr. Joseph B. Stone of the Gallup Indian Medical Center in New Mexico. Other noteworthy presenters includeDr. Westley Clark of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in Maryland, and Dr. Andrew J. Saxon of the University of Washington Addiction Psychiatry Residency Program.

DASA Director Doug Allen will present Exemplary Treatment Awards at noon on Thursday (July 26), honoring effective programs and dedicated individuals and groups around the state. The following programs and people are being honored this year:

Individual awards:

• Pamela Stoneburg, Cascade Recovery Center, Ellensburg
• Tom Mann, Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers, Kirkland
• H. Charles Buttrey, Sundown M Ranch, Selah
• Kristie Neklason, Youth Eastside Services, Bellevue
• Christopher Tippett, The Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Wenatchee
• Art Wurdemann, Providence St. Peter Chemical Dependency Center, Lacey
• James W. Smith, M.D., Schick Shadel Hospital, Seattle (posthumous award)

Programs:

• The Harvest Program - Behavioral Health Resources, Olympia
• The Substance Abuse Services Program - Center for Human Services, Shoreline

Agency:

• Serenity Point Counseling Center, Walla Walla

FOR ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:  The Institute is open to the public, and attendees may register at the event. For more information, visit the Web site at http://casat.unr.edu/DASA or call 1-877-301-4557.