Join us as Judge Maria Fortune tells us about presiding over Jefferson County Drug Court and her role in helping Drug Court participants be successful!

Judge Maria Fortune serves as a Criminal District Court Judge, presiding over Drug Court in Jefferson County. Judge Fortune grew up in Denver, Colorado, and from an early age, she knew that she wanted a career in law. As a child, she observed disparities in the criminal justice system, and wanted to become a judge, who listened to and looked at the defendant and their world beyond their criminal charges.

Before she began presiding over Drug Court, she practiced law in various capacities in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Alabama. Today, Judge Fortune works to help people get their lives back on track after they have entered the criminal justice system due to their substance use. Judge Fortune is popular in the Birmingham area and among the recovery community for helping hundreds of people live a happy, healthy, and productive life without substances.

Join us as Tyler Harris discusses his recovery journey and the work he does at Unbound Grace to support those in or seeking recovery.

In this episode, Tyler Harris tells us about growing up in Birmingham and attending Auburn University. Tyler’s substance use escalated while he was in college, which led to concerning health and legal consequences. Today, Tyler is thriving in his recovery, and he is using his experience and faith to help others seeking help and support for their substance use. Tyler works with Unbound Grace, a Birmingham based organization that supports people seeking recovery and helps them find hope in the wilderness of addiction.

To learn more about Unbound Grace: https://www.unboundgrace.life/groups

John Steakley’s book referenced in the episode: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1959099736?ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY&social_share=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY

In this episode, Lauren Sisler joins APC’s Executive Director, Carie Wimberly, and APC’s podcast producer, Ronnie Gatrey, to review End Addiction Bham 2024.

End Addiction Bham is an annual event that APC hosts each spring to promote awareness of substance misuse, provide hope, and provide connection. Each year this event draws several thousand people. Many participants are in recovery, some have lost a loved one to substance use, and others simply want to support eliminating the stigma of mental health and substance use. In addition to discussing their favorite parts of the End Addiction Bham festivities, our hosts also discuss how EAB has grown and changed over the past 8 years, and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make EAB happen flawlessly.

Did you miss EAB 2024? It’s not too late to donate: https://endaddictionbham.swell.gives/

Join us as Shane Herring discusses his experience with losing his sister to a substance use disorder, the impact it had on his life, and how he is using his own experiences and recovery journey to positively impact lives.

Shane Herring is the Manger of Clinical Operations for UAB Medicine’s Center for Psychiatric Medicine and the Program Director for UAB Medicine’s Addiction Scholars Program. In addition to serving in multiple roles with UAB, he is also a board member for the Addiction Prevention Coalition and a person in long-term recovery. Shane tells us about how the grief of losing his sister impacted him and his family, and how it was a contributing factor to his substance use. After a medical emergency, Shane was inspired to join the medical field by a nurse, who was supportive of people with substance use disorders. Today, Shane works to lead initiatives that support those with substance use disorders. He also works to educate healthcare professionals on the specific needs of those with substance use disorders and how to provide non-stigmatizing, supportive medical care.

oin us as Jasmine Gilbert tells us about the work she does with local students and the implementation of prevention efforts in Birmingham.

Jasmine, a Birmingham native and an alumna of Birmingham City Schools, discusses her love for the City of Birmingham and her determination of to enrich the lives of Birmingham residents. Jasmine is currently the Program Director for APC’s SAMHSA grant, Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnerships for Success. In addition to working with a team to coordinate substance use prevention efforts within the City of Birmingham, she also coordinates APC’s student programs. Jasmine shares with us her love for working with students and watching them develop into young leaders within their schools and their community.

Join us as Candace Rachel, the Rapid Response Coordinator for the Jefferson County Department of Health’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) initiative, tells us about the work that is being done to combat opioid overdoses in Alabama.

Candace, who is jokingly known as “Narcan Nancy” by many people she has trained on how to administer Naloxone, discusses how she became interested in working with people, who are less resourced. She also discusses her love for APC’s pop-up resource fairs, which are hosted in areas with high overdose rates and few resources. Pop-up resource fairs are designed to meet people where they are and take resources directly to people, who need them the most. Candace also discusses the reduction in the perception of risk of adolescent substance use, and the importance of parents talking to their children about substance use.

Naloxone (Narcan) is now available over the counter, but it can still be obtained for free through the Jefferson County Department of Health for Alabama residents.

https://jcdh.org/SitePages/Programs-Services/CommunityHealth/SubstanceUseandAddiction/NaloxoneFentanylTraining.aspx

Join us as Adam Schniper and Janae Pinson from Compact tell us about Compact's substance use prevention initiatives in Shelby County, Alabama, and how Compact has become a trusted, vital community resource.

In 2016, Compact was established by the Shelby County District Attorney with the goal of reducing the rate of substance use in Shelby County. Since its inception, Compact has served as a resource for families, schools, and students. Today, Compact primarily focuses on supporting juveniles that are at a high risk for substance use or may already be using substances. Compact provides family intervention, community education, and connection to resources. Compact works to serve as an ally for individuals and families, and to empower and guide them in the right direction to be healthy and successful.

Janae Pinson serves as the Community Resource Coordinator. She is a former educator, who is passionate about identifying the needs of the community and educating the community to prevent substance use. Adam Schniper has been with Compact since it was established, and he works to implement prevention initiatives within the City of Pelham and Pelham City Schools. Adam is passionate about preventing the onset of substance use in adolescents, and supporting individuals and families to seek support and recovery.

To learn more or to contact Compact visit https://www.compact2020.com/
Janae Pinson: jpinson@shelbyda.com
Adam Schniper: aschniper@shelbyda.com

#addiction #prevention #substanceabuse

Join us as Bronwyn McInturff, an APC board member and a social worker with nearly 25 years of experience working in the substance use field, discusses stigma, the evolution of substance use treatment, and treatment limitations due to funding.

Bronwyn also tells us about how she was introduced to the mental health field by her mother, who is also a helping professional. She discusses what it was like working with clients at UAB Medicine’s Addiction Recovery Program and being inspired by watching people transform their lives from being in active addiction to thriving in recovery. Although Bronwyn formally retired in 2023, she could not stay away from her passion for too long. She now works part-time providing individual counseling services to clients.

To contact or learn more about UAB Medicine’s Addiction Recovery Program, call 205-975-8524 or visit their website.