agenda

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. : Breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. : General Session: Innovative Strategies for Serving People Impacted by the Criminal Legal System

The panel discussion will focus on innovative strategies and programs being implemented, both pre- and post-release, to support individuals in their re-entry. Panelists will be able to highlight newly launched trauma-informed, evidence-based programming both within the carceral setting as well as in the community, and will discuss the advocacy efforts surrounding decarceration and reentry service needs.

Presented by:

Margaret (Meg) Egan, First Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Correction (DOC)
Rossana Rosado, Commissioner, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)
Hon. Jessica Earle-Gargan, Queens County Supreme Court, Criminal Term
Dr. Alethea Taylor, Executive Director, Hour Children
Dr. Ronald Day, Chief Operating Officer, The Fortune Society
Katrina Marshall, Owner, AnchorWell Recovery Training and Consulting, CRPA/CARC/RCPF/ IUA Trainer 
Moderated by: Rob DeLeon, President & CEO, The Fortune Society

10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. : 600 Breakout Series

Breakout 601: Screening for Gambling-Related Harms and Diagnosis of Gambling Disorder: Recommendations in the Context of Increasing Gambling Activities in New York State
As gambling opportunities expand in New York, understanding gambling disorder and its harms is critical for prevention and treatment. This presentation covers recent trends in gambling-related harm among New Yorkers and examines screening and diagnostic approaches, with emphasis on populations experiencing mental health or substance use disorders. Attendees will gain practical knowledge of gambling disorder screening tools and how to integrate screening into their clinical practice.
Presented by:
Grace Hennessy, MD, Chief of Addiction Psychiatry, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
Ashly Jordan, PhD, MPH, Director of Research and Program Evaluation, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

Breakout 602: New York State Comprehensive Crisis Response System and Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center
Participants will hear a presentation on the coordinated crisis response system and overview the work of the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center, which is operated by OMH and OASAS. The presentation will focus on the key aspects of the national crisis response framework (someone to contact, someone to respond, a safe place to go) and New York State’s current and future system.
Presented by: New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)

Breakout 603: Building a Recovery Ready Workforce
This session will highlight the implementation of Recovery Ready Workplace (RRW) initiatives as a strategy to expand workforce participation and support individuals in recovery. Presenters will share practical approaches to engaging employers, building cross-sector partnerships, and delivering training that fosters recovery-supportive workplace cultures. The session will also explore how RRW initiatives strengthen workforce retention, reduce stigma, and create pathways to sustainable employment, while demonstrating the broader economic and community impact of investing in recovery-oriented systems.
Presented by: Chris Assini, Director of Policy, Friends of Recovery

Breakout 604: Integrating Services, Improving Outcomes: A Harm Reduction Framework for Supportive Housing
This presentation will feature the Supportive Housing Network of New York (the Network), Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Lantern Community Services, and a balance of state providers to discuss the overwhelming predominance of substance use in supportive housing across New York State. The session will highlight best practices for embedding on-site services and building partnerships to expand access to harm reduction and recovery supports for tenants. Drawing on evidence from the Network’s Safety & Well-Being Initiative harm reduction sessions and CSH’s Permanent Supportive Housing Overdose Prevention (POP) Study, presenters will share practical examples of how providers have successfully implemented these best practices.
Presented by: Joelle Ballam-Schwan, Director of Programs and Engagement, Supportive Housing Network of New York

Breakout 605: Building Better Outcomes: Community Experience in Integrated Care and Recovery
Beyond the framework of conventional integrated care, this workshop focuses on how integrating communal experiences to complement individualized treatment can expand the lens of what is considered person centered treatment, foster sustainable recovery and reduce stigmatization through shared experience. Through experiential exercises presenters will invoke attunement, a hallmark of person-centered, trauma informed care, as well as illustrate strategies for participant/staff collaboration in developing recovery celebrations.
Presented by:
Sarah Gilliard, Program Director of our Harlem CCBHC
Dani York, LCAT, RDT, Drama Therapist, Director of Clinical Support & Enhancement, Services for the UnderServed
James Chavez, Regional Director, Recovery & Treatment Services

Breakout 606: Fractional by Design: Scaling Data Analytics for Behavioral Health Impact
This session explores how community-based behavioral health organizations can implement a fractional data analyst model to build scalable, cost-effective analytics capacity without the burden of full-time staffing. It will walk through a practical framework for kick starting a data strategy, centralizing data sources, designing dashboards, strengthening compliance reporting, and embedding data into day-to-day decision-making to improve outcomes and operational performance. This presentation will share lessons learned, practical steps for implementation, and a roadmap other community-based organizations can use to adopt similar models.
Presented by: Esther Obanero, MBA, CISA, CSM, Director of Healthcare of Informatics, Compliance, Quality Management, Data, and IT, Bridging Access to Care, Inc.

Breakout 607: Building a Peer Workforce Development Center (PWDC): Expanding Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS) Through a Residential-to-Community Workforce Pipeline
NYS faces an urgent need for expanded Peer Recovery Support Services (PRSS), particularly for people with SUDs transitioning from residential treatment back into the community. A new Peer Workforce Development Center (PWDC) model has created a structured pathway for outgoing residential clients to become Certified Recovery Peer Advocates (CRPAs) and enter paid peer roles. Anchored in community-based Peer Alliance Recovery Centers, the PWDC is more than a training program: it’s a coordinated “access package” that includes recruitment, enrollment, certification, supervised placement, and structured deployment into real-world peer roles that enhance the reach of recovery capital and supports, harm reduction, and treatment linkage.
Presented by:
Melissa Earle, Ph.D., LCSW, Clinical Associate Professor, Director of CASAC and Addictions Education, Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare
Julia Fesko, Director of the Workforce Development and Talent Management Bureau, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

Breakout 608: How to Become a VIP at the Club: Creating a Vibrant Partnership with a Clubhouse Near You
In this session, you will learn about an exciting and effective non-clinical model that dovetails with clinical
treatment, restoring purpose, community relationships, and meaningful work. Find out how your program can partner with Clubhouses to support recovery, based on new research on benefits of and barriers to partnership. You will hear perspectives on different types of Clubhouse-clinical partnerships from across the nation, including differences between auspice-based and freestanding Clubhouses. Exit the session with new opportunities to get involved with the Clubhouse model and offer better outcomes to individuals with serious mental illness.
Presented by: Jeanie Tse, MD, Senior Medical Director, Fountain House, & Associate Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine

Breakout 609:Delivering Evidence-Informed Prevention for Families in Carceral Settings
Parenting Inside Out (PIO) is an evidence-informed substance use disorder prevention program intended to help justice-involved parents build positive, loving relationships with their children despite the unique challenges of the criminal legal system. Participants will learn the components of PIO, steps to operationalizing the program, how to leverage partnerships, staff training, site and participant recruitment, and program impact. OASAS-funded service providers will present accomplishments and barriers from three years of delivering this program.
Presented by:
Norwood Keaton, Executive Director, Program for the Development of Human Potential, Brooklyn Diocese
Ellen Tryon, Director, Criminal Justice Division, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
Barbara Bennet, Research Scientist III, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
Emily Ellis, Project Manager, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)