Anthony J. Mele, Psy.D., Chief Clinical Officer at Sovereign Health, to Discuss Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse at the Navigating Passages to Recovery Conference

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Aug. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Health, a national behavioral health system, is proud to announce that Anthony J. Mele, Psy.D., Chief Clinical Officer of Sovereign Health, will be a guest panelist at the "Impaired Professionals Panel Session," on Friday, August 18, 2017, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. EDT in Baltimore, Maryland. At the Navigating Passages to Recovery Conference, organized by Addiction Professional, Dr. Mele will join a panel to discuss the clinical best practices that help impaired professionals regain their standing.

President Donald Trump has finally declared the opioid crisis a national emergency. An emergency would help states and federal agencies get additional resources and power to deal with the situation. They would experience renewed vigor in putting up a valiant fight against the opioid epidemic.

Medical professionals, lawyers, airline pilots, first responders and other uniformed service workers face harsh scrutiny when substance use disorders put their careers at risk. This multidisciplinary panel will discuss the facets of: identifying impaired professionals; encouraging them to seek treatment; offering them a conduit to treatment services; treating their unique needs; following up on treatment and recovery; restoring certification or professional standing; and maintaining public safety in light of their critical roles in the communities that rely on them.

Upon attending this course, participants will be able to:

    --  Define the types of professionals at risk for losing professional
        standing for substance use disorders.
    --  Identify two ways to address the unique needs of impaired professionals.
    --  Discuss the motivators that drive impaired professionals.

Dr. Mele is a licensed psychologist whose contribution to the behavioral health industry over the last 25 years has been instrumental. He earned his doctorate of psychology (Psy.D) at Widener University in Pennsylvania and post-doctoral education and training from several notable institutions, including Harvard and Duke Universities. His clinical expertise includes assessment and treatment of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders in adolescents and adults. Dr. Mele was with Catholic Clinical Consultants and United Healthcare before his association with Sovereign that dates back to October 2015. Dr. Mele actively supports Sovereign Health's delivery of evidence-based and research-driven clinical programs that have produced outcomes that exceed industry benchmarks. In addition to providing cognitively based dual diagnosis treatment, Sovereign's distinct mental health programs, eating disorder program and trauma-informed approach position Sovereign as a national leader in the delivery of behavioral health.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com.

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SOURCE Sovereign Health