Judge to participate in programon opioid addiction, treatment
A Sterling Heights district court judge is one of 11 jurists from across the state who will participate in a programto address opioid abuse in criminal and family court cases.
Judge Annemarie Lepore of 41A District Court will participate in Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which provides education on issues including the physiology of addiction, evidence-based programming interventions, and medication-assisted treatment, according to a Michigan Courts news release.
It is an initiative of RJOI (Appalachian/Midwest Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative), on which state Supreme Court Chief Justice BridgetMcCormack sits on the Leadership Committee, officials said.
“Local judges are community leaders who are uniquely positioned to make a difference on the front lines of the opioid epidemic,” McCormack said in the release. “Judges see case after case involving people strugglingwith drug abuse, and Project ECHOwill help them better understand ways to address addiction and strengthen their engagement with the community.”
The program will involve a series of Zoom presentations through November during which physicians will discuss opioids, addiction, evidence-based programs, and medication for opioid use disorder, officials said. Judges will take part in group discussions on how opioids affect individuals they encounter in their courtrooms and develop strategies to assist and manage these situations, officials said.
Additional series’ may be held in the future, officials said.
Project ECHO was originally developed for health care professionals.
Organized by the National Center for State Courts, theRJOI isaneightstate coalition, including Michigan, that was formed in 2016 in response to the need for information, education, and resources to address the opioid epidemic.
Other participant judges include former assistant MacombCounty prosecutor Gordon Hosbein, Berrien County Trial Court; Benjamin Bolser, Montmorency County Probate Court; Andre Borrello, 10th Circuit Court, Saginaw County; Elizabeth DiSanto, 27th District Court, Wyandotte; Kevin Elsenheimer, 13th Circuit Court, Grand Traverse County; Elian Fichtner, 70th District Court, Saginaw; ShannonHolmes, 36th District Court, Detroit; Lisa McCormick, 30th CircuitCourt, InghamCounty; Michael Pope, 32nd Circuit Court, Gogebic County; and CynthiaWard, 54A District Court, Lansing.