Poster 29 - Changing Policy, Changing Practice: Operationalizing Regulatory Shifts to Reshape Addiction Care

Monday, April 27, 2026

1:15 PM - 1:45 PM MDT

Location: Screen 8, Exhibit Hall Poster Pavilion

Recent regulatory changes have opened the door to expanded access across the behavioral health and addiction treatment landscape. Through the lens of one organization’s experience, this session explores how policy shifts can be translated into more person-centered, low-barrier care. Participants will examine real-world strategies to implement these changes, navigate cultural and operational challenges, and build cross-sector partnerships that improve engagement and continuity. Whether you work in clinical, supervisory, or systems-level roles, you’ll leave with practical tools and insights to apply within your own setting.

Learning Objectives:

Specify key regulatory and policy changes that expand access to addiction treatment, including methadone take-home dosing and mobile medication delivery.
Identify at least two implementation strategies that support low-barrier, person-centered addiction treatment.
Formulate at least one actionable step to apply these system-level changes within their own professional role or practice setting.

Poster Presenter(s)

Lisa Blanchard, LMHC

Chief Clinical Officer
Spectrum Health Systems
Westboro, Massachusetts

Disclosure information not submitted.
Heidi DiRoberto, LMHC

Vice President of Outpatient Services
Spectrum Health Systems
Westboro, Massachusetts

Disclosure information not submitted.