New IDRPP ECHO Project Targets Substance Abuse

The Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice’s ECHO project on substance abuse will launch at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

Time to Act ECHO: Substance Abuse is free for all participants, and it’s targeted to substance abuse providers, early childhood providers, behavioral health providers, administrators, mental health community clinics, social workers, pediatricians, other medical providers and family members.

Project ECHO is a lifelong learning and guided practice model that provides professional development and offers best practices. The heart of the ECHO model is its hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing networks, led by expert teams who use videoconferencing to conduct learning sessions about evidence-based practices in education, health and disability services. This method supports and invites participation from practitioners and families everywhere, including rural areas.

The focus of the ECHO sessions is to understand the impact of substance abuse — and that it is felt far beyond the individual, said IDRPP Program Coordinator Janel Preston.

“Anything we do, it impacts the whole family,” Preston said. “For example, if the mom is incarcerated or the husband is doing drugs, that’s impacting the whole family system.”

Find out more and register on the project’s website. To find out about other active ECHO projects, visit IDRPP’s Project ECHO.