Description
October 1, 2025 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM Portland Public Health’s Overdose Data to Action: LOCAL Community Needs Assessment – Key Findings Informing Substance Use Services in Cumberland County
Description:
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the purpose, scope, and methodology of the Portland Public Health Overdose Data to Action: Limiting Overdose through Collaborative Actions in Localities (OD2A:LOCAL) community needs assessment.
- Identify key findings related to gaps, strengths, and priorities for overdose prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services in Cumberland County.
- Discuss how information from the OD2A:LOCAL community needs assessment has been used to inform planning, policy, and program development in Cumberland County
Presenter: Mary Lindsey Smith, PhD, MSW
Dr. Smith is Director of Substance Use Research & Evaluation (SURE) and the Maine Opioid Settlement Support Center (MOSS) as well as a Senior Research Associate at the Catherine E. Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Smith is responsible for designing and implementing health services research and evaluation projects along with supporting technical assistance activities related to addressing substance use disorder (SUD). Most of her research and evaluation work has focused on macro-level issues and has been designed to help systems reduce illness burden, healthcare utilization, and costs as well as understanding mechanisms of practice transformation during quality improvement initiatives or program implementation. In addition, her recent work has examined models of integrated care aimed at improving access to patient focused care for individuals with SUD in rural communities. She has extensive research and clinical expertise in the area of substance use and behavioral health disorders which has been the primary focus of her research agenda for over 25 years. Dr. Smith specializes in mixed-methods research and has experience designing and implementing evaluation, research, as well as technical assistance projects at the local, state, and federal levels. Dr. Smith’s Research has been funded by a variety of entities including the Center for Disease Control, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Human Resources & Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Veterans Administration. Dr. Smith holds a Masters (2004) and Doctorate (2009) in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. She also received additional clinical experience and health research training during her Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the VA Pittsburgh Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP).
Presenter: Arielle Gross, MPH
Arielle Grosse is the Overdose Data to Action Program Coordinator at Portland Public Health Division in Portland, Maine. In her role she oversees the implementation of the LOCAL grant. This grant work involves supporting strategies addressing harm reduction, linkage to care services, overdose data surveillance infrastructure, as well as clinical and health systems best practices.
Continuing Medical Education:
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Education and CCSME. The Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Education is accredited by the Maine Medical Association Committee on Continuing Medical Education and Accreditation to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Hanley Center for Health Leadership and Education designates this regularly scheduled series for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
*Nurses and Nurse Practitioners will be awarded a certificate of participation with a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™.
This course has been approved by Co-Occurring Collaborative Serving Maine (CCSME), as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for 1 educational credits. NAADAC Provider #324712, CCSME is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Contact Hours 1 contact hours for social workers, licensed clinical professional counselors, and behavioral health professionals.
1 Category 1 Contact hours for psychologists. CCSME is a pre-approved sponsor and provider of Professional Education Activities for Psychologists.
1 contract hours CHES. CCSME is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
