Description
This webinar focuses on turning good intentions into real, affirming practice across Maryland’s service systems to create inclusive services for immigrant communities centering respect, access, and trust. This session goes beyond theory to help you understand the barriers immigrant communities face, as well as what you and your organization can do right now to reduce them.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
Identify barriers immigrants communities face in accessing care.
Describe affirming language use and cultural engagement practices.
Outline organizational readiness for diverse service delivery.
Faculty
Ericka Reid serves as a Program Manager at Esperanza Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Baltimore dedicated to supporting immigrant communities through health, legal, educational, and social services. In her role, she helps lead client-centered service delivery and community engagement efforts that expand access to care for individuals who may not qualify for traditional health coverage. With a strong commitment to equity and access, Ericka’s work focuses on connecting individuals to essential services, including healthcare, interpretation support, and social resources. She brings a community-driven approach to her work, helping ensure that services are responsive, welcoming, and grounded in the needs of the populations served.
Focused on adolescents and young adults, this webinar will explore developmentally appropriate, trust-centered engagement strategies that support safety, autonomy, and connection to services.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
- Identify developmental considerations when working with youth
- Compare trust-building engagement strategies
- Describe youth-responsive approaches to education and support
Summary
This session focuses on reducing stigma in clinical settings serving people who use drugs, with an emphasis on improving patient experience, strengthening provider communication, and implementing systems-level changes that enhance engagement, retention in care, and overall health outcomes across Maryland.
Learning Objectives
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Identify forms of stigma within clinical care
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Define trauma-informed and respectful communication strategies
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Explore system-level practices that promote equitable care
Faculty
Dr. Ashley Elliott
Clinical Psychologist, Vivid Innovations Consulting / contact@doctorvivid.com
Also known affectionately as Dr. Vivid, Dr. Elliott is a native Washingtonian and considers herself to be a positive product of her urban environment. First-hand family exposure to the impact that substance use, mental illness, interpersonal violence, and sexual trauma can have on individuals, families, and communities made Dr. Elliott passionate about empowering others and working to change lives. While receiving her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, she started Vivid Innovations Consulting, LLC., which offers mental health consultation, lifestyle consultation, assessment, and seminar/lecture opportunities. Her clinical interests include community mental health, client psychoeducation/health education, substance use treatment, group therapy, plant medicine, BIPOC-centered issues, LGBTQIA-centered issues, severe mental illness, mental health and technology, and the integration of non-traditional and artistic expression in therapy.
This advanced session will explore the evolving landscape of ketamine and other psychedelic substances as they appear in clinical settings, community conversations, and personal use. Participants will examine current evidence, emerging models of care, and ethical considerations. The faculty also will offer strategies for providers to engage in informed, nonjudgmental conversations while navigating Maryland’s legal and clinical context.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
- Describe current uses and emerging applications of ketamine and psychedelic substances
- Distinguish between clinical and community contexts of use
- Identify safety, ethical, and access considerations relevant to providers and outreach staff
- Evaluate informed, non-stigmatizing communication strategies when discussing psychedelics
**Please note that continuing education credits are not available for this webinar.**
Faculty
Lauren C. Going, LCSW-C, RYT is a
Maryland-based psychotherapist and co-founder of Inner Path Wellness,
Baltimore's first psychedelic-assisted therapy center. She specializes in
ketamine- and psychedelic-assisted therapies and provides training and
consultation on trauma-informed and integrative care approaches. Ms. Going also
serves as an integration therapist for research studies at Johns Hopkins and
Sheppard Pratt and is an experienced speaker and educator in emerging
therapeutic practices.
Description: Designed for outreach and community-based staff, this training explores how stigma shows up in everyday interactions and offers practical tools to foster welcoming, respectful environments that support engagement and retention.
Learning Objectives:
Explain how stigma shows up in Opioid-Associated Disease Prevention and Outreach Programs in Maryland.
Use trauma-informed care in daily work.
Recognize barriers participants face in your community.
Use numbers and stories to show program impact.
Take one action to reduce stigma right away.
Faculty:
Amalia Amy Zamot, MS, CHRC
Photo:
Bio:
Amalia Amy Zamot is the Senior Capacity Building Assistance Manager at HealthHIV and has been active in the field of HIV/STI/HCV and Drug User Health for more than 25 years. Throughout her career she served as a liaison between the community and the Department of Health and then as a program director at a community based organization, providing community mobilization and engagement, data interpretation, event coordination, curriculum development and training to increase HIV/STI/HCV and Drug User Health awareness and service access for ethnic and racial minority populations throughout the Southwest Florida region.
Description: People who engage in sex work are among the most vulnerable communities when it comes to health outcomes, as well as personal and community safety. Creating trust between clients who engage in sex work and healthcare providers is essential for delivering impactful services that are responsive to the needs of this under-served population. This webinar will focus on the intersection of sex work, health access, and community safety. Participants will explore trust-building strategies and engagement approaches that support autonomy, reduce stigma, and promote safer service environments.
Learning Objectives:
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
Describe the structural factors impacting sex workers’ health
Identify best practices for building trust and rapport
Outline safety-centered engagement strategies in community settings
Faculty:
Kaniya Walker is a dynamic advocate, community leader, and changemaker committed to advancing health equity and transforming lives across the DMV. A proud Black trans woman from Virginia, she relocated to the DC area with a clear mission: to uplift marginalized communities and create real pathways to care, stability, and opportunity. She serves as the Lead Community Engagement Coordinator at Heart to Hand Inc., one of the only Black-led HIV/AIDS organizations in Prince George’s County, as Vice President of FLUX DC, and as the Executive Director of Auntie’s Home. Kaniya is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Health Services Management at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), further strengthening her commitment to improving healthcare systems and outcomes for underserved communities.
