Faculty

Libby Jones

M.Sc.
Associate Vice President
Global Health Advocacy Incubator

Libby Jones is the associate vice president of GHAI’s Overdose Prevention Initiative. Libby leads the Initiative’s advocacy efforts, advancing federal policies that will reduce the overdose death rate in the United States. Libby has written and spoken on overdose prevention policy on Capitol Hill, at national conferences, and in the press, including op-eds, podcast appearances, and media interviews. Prior to joining GHAI, Libby served as government relations officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ substance use prevention and treatment initiative, as well as holding various positions in U.S. federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Economic Development Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice. She holds a MSc in human rights from the London School of Economics and a BA in government from the College of William and Mary.

2027 Sessions

Effective Advocacy: Working through the Congress, Courts, and the Executive Branch to Advance Effective Addiction Policies

Session Description: This session will present practical tools advocates can use to advance evidence-based responses to addiction and substance use disorder in their communities. As federal policy continues to evolve, including ongoing changes to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), shifting federal civil rights enforcement priorities, and implementation of significant Medicaid policy changes, communities face both challenges and opportunities to expand access to care. Presenters will discuss bipartisan legislative efforts to increase access to evidence-based addiction treatment; litigation aimed at protecting the rights of people with substance use disorder; and advocacy strategies to ensure that implementation of Medicaid community engagement requirements and other eligibility policies does not create barriers to treatment and recovery. The session will also highlight opportunities for collaboration among advocates, policymakers, healthcare providers, and litigators to promote equitable access to care. Attendees will leave with an updated understanding of the federal policy landscape, recent developments in courts across the country, and practical tools they can use to work with advocates, lawmakers, and legal partners to advance effective, evidence-based policies that improve access to treatment and recovery services in their own communities.

Presenter

Monday, March 29 2:45–4:00 PM
1.25 Credits
Advocacy
Faculty

Libby Jones

M.Sc.
Associate Vice President
Global Health Advocacy Incubator

Libby Jones is the associate vice president of GHAI’s Overdose Prevention Initiative. Libby leads the Initiative’s advocacy efforts, advancing federal policies that will reduce the overdose death rate in the United States. Libby has written and spoken on overdose prevention policy on Capitol Hill, at national conferences, and in the press, including op-eds, podcast appearances, and media interviews. Prior to joining GHAI, Libby served as government relations officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts’ substance use prevention and treatment initiative, as well as holding various positions in U.S. federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, Economic Development Administration, and the U.S. Department of Justice. She holds a MSc in human rights from the London School of Economics and a BA in government from the College of William and Mary.

Faculty

Regina LaBelle

JD
Professor, Director
Georgetown University

Regina LaBelle is a Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health, where she founded and directs the Master of Science in Addiction Policy and Practice program. She is also a distinguished scholar and the Director of the Center on Addiction Policy at the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law. A veteran of two presidential administrations, Regina served as Acting Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) during the first year of the Biden Administration and as Chief of Staff at ONDCP under President Obama. In these roles, she was instrumental in managing the federal response to the overdose epidemic and implementing the National Drug Control Strategy.

An accomplished author and commentator, her work has been featured in the Journal of Addiction Medicine and The New York Times, and she frequently appears as an expert on CNN, MSNBC, and the BBC. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and currently serves on the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse at the NIH.

Faculty

Joseph Longley

JD
Staff Attorney
ACLU Disability Rights Program

Joseph Longley is a Staff Attorney at the ACLU Disability Rights Program. There, he focuses on advancing the rights of people with substance use disorder, including access to medications for opioid use disorder throughout society. He was previously Senior Advisor at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Project Director at the O'Neill Institute, and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the ACLU National Prison Project. Joseph received a B.A. from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He clerked for the Honorable Roy W. McLeese on the D.C. Court of Appeals.

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