2023 Partners in Prevention Conference

Lunch and CHASCo meeting.

Experiencing nature, even just a look outside, is healing and restorative in many ways.  Public and campus greenspaces represent preventative resources that can help combat historic inequities in access to health resources.  There is a growing body of research that demonstrates the benefits of prescribing time in nature as a wellness intervention and introduces a myriad of helpful sustainable mindsets.

Using current demographic and generational shifts as a backdrop, this session will provide a critical but thoughtful examination of prevention best practice. It will attempt to answer the question of whether our current understanding of “what works” remains the standard or whether a paradigm shift is needed to effectively address the challenges of the modern university. Attendees will learn about the trends that are challenging conventional practice and ways we can reframe our work to demonstrate how a culture of social-emotional wellness is directly tied to critical institutional outcomes from enrollment and academic performance to retention and career readiness.

This session will explore the benefits of combining meditation and nature to relieve stress and anxiety. Spending time in nature can have a positive impact on mental health and meditation can help individuals develop a sense of inner peace and mindfulness. Utilizing the speaker's lived experience, the presentation will also discuss how meditation can be used as a tool to help individuals of all backgrounds connect with nature and feel more comfortable in outdoor spaces, regardless of race or ability. It will address the barriers that minority communities may face in accessing outdoor spaces and provide strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

Dr. Kelly-Ann Allen writes that a sense of belonging, “is a fundamental human need that predicts numerous mental, physical, social, economic and behavior outcomes”. If this is true, do we have a responsibility to make sure everyone in our communities feel like they belong? What’s the individual community member’s responsibility? This interactive session will explore these questions and how forms of exclusion can lead to substance use/misuse. Finally, attendees will be placed in groups to discuss and brainstorm strategies to recruit and retain diverse community members to lead prevention initiatives.

This session will provide an overview of how the TN Dangerous Drugs Task Force assists Law Enforcement and Community Coalitions in the presumptive testing of cannabis products and the dangers associated with use of commercial cannabis products.