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Substance Use Continuum of Care

Education Session B

B16 - State of the Union of SUD

Monday, April 27, 2026
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM MDT
Location: Bluebird 2G
NASW CCB ACCME ANCC APA NY-SW NY-MHC NBCC
Executives from Hazelden Betty Ford, Caron Treatment Centers, HealthRIGHT 360, Rosecrance, and the National Council convene to examine the rapidly evolving addiction treatment landscape. The dialogue explores how leadership maintains clinical integrity and workforce morale while navigating challenging external environments and evolving perspectives on pragmatic interventions, offering a candid conversation about leading with clarity and courage when the demands on treatment organizations have never been more complex.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe key trends shaping the current state of behavioral healthcare, including the field’s shift toward more outcomes-driven, personalized, and science-based models of care.
  • Evaluate how emerging innovations—such as GLP-1 medications, data science, and AI—can be integrated responsibly and ethically to improve treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes.
  • Identify leadership strategies for navigating uncertainty in funding, regulation, and workforce challenges while sustaining mission-driven, patient-centered care delivery.
Disclosure(s):
Phil Rutherford: No financial relationships to disclose
Joseph Lee, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Vitka Eisen, MSW, EdD: No financial relationships to disclose
John Driscoll, MBA: No financial relationships to disclose
David Gomel, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

    Breakout Presenter(s)

  • PR

    Phil Rutherford

    VP Substance Use Continuum
    National Council for Mental Wellbeing
    Rochester, Minnesota

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • Joseph Lee, MD

    President and CEO
    Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
    Rancho Mirage, California

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • Vitka Eisen, MSW, EdD

    President and Chief Executive Officer
    HealthRIGHT 360
    San Francisco, California

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • John Driscoll, MBA

    President and Chief Executive Officer
    Caron Treatment Centers
    Wernersville, Pennsylvania

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • David Gomel, PhD

    CEO
    Rosecrance Behavioral Health
    Rockford, Illinois

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose