Mental health and substance abuse issues will be at the forefront as two state boards meet together here this week.
The Alaska Mental Health Board and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse are meeting Tuesday through Thursday at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center, and there’ll be an evening reception Tuesday for public comment. On Friday, there will be advocacy training from 9 to 4.
The meeting will offer community members a chance to learn about the Boards and their statewide efforts. There will be presentations on local and statewide efforts related to mental health and substance misuse.
AMHB and ABADA were created by statute to provide advice, education, planning and coordination related to Alaska’s public behavioral health system. The boards also advocate for Alaskans who experience mental health and substance use disorders and their families to ensure that behavioral health services meet their needs.
The 3-day meeting will include presentations on local behavioral health efforts, substance misuse, trauma and child welfare, public safety, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority updates, Statewide Suicide Prevention Council updates and a local teen panel on suicide prevention efforts in the Central Kenai Peninsula.
The meeting, which is open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Kenai Visitors and Cultural Center.
State Mental Health and substance abuse boards meet in Kenai
