Mercer University School of Medicine’s Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center, in partnership with the CWC Alliance, hosted the 2026 Prescription for Prevention: Opioid Misuse in Rural Georgia Conference on Sept. 18.
The conference highlighted challenges surrounding opioid misuse, with an emphasis on prevention, recovery and community-based solutions. Sessions addressed substance use disorder treatment in youth, the physiology of addiction, the impact of addiction and loss on families, and the connection between mental wellness and substance use prevention.
Prevention is something every person can practice, and every day is an opportunity to change someone’s trajectory, according to Cammie Rice Wolf, founder and CEO of CWC Alliance. “I wanted attendees to walk away with practical tools, new connections, and confidence that rural Georgia is a place where solutions are being built and implemented,” she said.
The CWC Alliance created the Life Care Specialist role, an integrated member of the care team who provides care coordination, alternative pain management techniques and behavioral health solutions for patients. Mercer University School of Medicine developed the curriculum for the Life Care Specialist certification. A special ceremony recognized three new Life Care Specialists in Georgia.
“Mercer University School of Medicine and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center share our belief that rural communities deserve care designed for them,” Rice said. “Our collective commitment to rural Georgia, combined with their research and statewide relationships, helps us train the Life Care Specialist workforce, measure outcomes, and provide resources that are so desperately needed. We are stronger together!”
Prescription for Prevention will continue as an annual conference focused on innovative, evidence-based and community-based approaches to opioid misuse prevention and recovery.
Rice said, “I believe Prescription for Prevention will continue to grow as a place where clinicians, educators and families come together each year to share what’s working.”
Next year’s event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 17, 2027, at Mercer University’s Macon campus.