Tupelo — The Northeast Mississippi Addiction and Recovery Summit drew community members and professionals to the Cadence Bank Conference Center on Sept. 17. Organized by Terry Baber, director of the Northeast Mississippi Health Alliance, and hosted in collaboration with the United Way of Northeast Mississippi and Mississippi State University’s Department of Psychology, the event aimed to empower attendees with tools for tackling addiction.

The day began with registration and networking, leading to a welcome lunch that highlighted the critical role of community support in recovery efforts.

Keynote speaker Dr. Brent Boyett, an addiction medicine specialist and the former chief medical officer of Pathway Healthcare, addressed the opioid crisis. He discussed the $55 billion national opioid settlement, noting that the pharmaceutical industry is being held accountable for its role in fueling the epidemic. Boyett also challenged the rationale for continuing opioid prescriptions for chronic pain.

“Addiction isn’t a failure of willpower; it’s a disease that rewires the brain,” Boyett said. “You can’t place logical thought on addictive thinking.”

Mississippians who struggled with addiction spoke at the summit. 

“I just remember feeling that rejection and kind of abandonment at a small age,” Casey Wortman of Saltillo said. “I tried to commit suicide at age 11, and my drug use began. When I was using… I was a mess, and I hurt everybody around me.”

Patrick Davis of Tupelo reflected on how recovery impacted his relationships.

“I couldn’t really connect with anybody,” Davis said. “I had nothing to talk about unless we were using. I got clean, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have a sister.’”

Breakout sessions focused on crisis intervention and substance use prevention, including Narcan training. Rep. Sam Creekmore, who chairs the House Public Health and Human Services committee, provided a legislative update on addiction initiatives, including a bill that allows the state Health Department to distribute naloxone to more groups. Community leaders explored collaborative recovery strategies.

“Our goal this year was to bring all the stakeholders in our region together, give them the resources to help empower, educate, and expand our recovery ecosystem. It was a collaborative effort among community stakeholders, professionals, and individuals in treatment,” Baber said. “We think our community is on board in helping us expand that recovery ecosystem. That’s our focus going forward.”

The attendance at the event indicates a community interest in addressing addiction and mental health services as local communities face challenges from the opioid crisis.

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