Anthony J. Mele, Psy.D., Chief Clinical Officer at Sovereign Health, to Discuss the Opioid Crisis at Addiction Professional Conference

PHOENIX, Feb. 10, 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 "Driving Community Solutions for the Opioid Crisis," on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MT at Maggiano's Little Italy. At the conference, organized by Addiction Professional magazine, Dr. Mele will join a panel to discuss how treatment professionals can better work together and become effective change agents for educating the public, as well as helping to bring about a comprehensive prevention and broad-based treatment strategy.

The opioid crisis has become America's No. 1 public health emergency. Treatment professionals are in a position to influence everyday citizens and policymakers alike, but finding the right avenues can be a challenge. At the same time, treatment professionals can struggle with staying up-to-date on the latest developments in America's prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic.

Upon attending this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand recent developments in the opioid crisis and its impact on the local community
• Prepare discussion points to share with the community
• Explore ways treatment professionals of all types can better work together to ensure a recovery-oriented system of care

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