The 16thAnnual Mental Health & Substance Abuse Awareness Symposium will be held Wednesday, May 1, from 8 to 5 p.m. at the Laredo Campus of the UT Health Science Center at 1937 Bustamante.
The symposium is sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Texas Department of State Health Services Office of Border Public Health (OBPH), and other community agencies that are partnering to create mental health awareness and education.
The one-day program will feature experts in the fields of opioids, child abuse and mental health, bipolar disorders, synthetic marijuana, anxiety and mental health in children, alcohol and tobacco abuse, HIV and mental health, and others.
For the last 16 years, a number of community mental health professionals have continued with the educational initiative established by Dr. Julio Cesar Gomez-Rejon and Dr. Edmundo Jesus Ruiz to create mental health awareness.
The symposium offers continuing education credits to nurses, social workers, licensed professional counselors, sanitarians, promotoras, and community health workers. Simultaneous English to Spanish translation will be available. Numerous agencies will be in attendance to share information about their services.
For further information about the event, contact Julie Bazan at (956) 712-0037.