Substance Abuse Disorders, Mental Health, & Recovery: Cultural Elements in Working with Disproportionately Impacted Populations
October 15, 2026
10:00 A.M. – Noon PT
Every year, Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health challenges impact millions of people across the country. That said, there are 23 million people in recovery from SUDs and an additional 44 million in recovery from mental health conditions. And while our systems of care have made significant strides, members of disproportionately impacted communities continue to experience barriers to quality care and recovery supports. Participants in this training will learn about disproportionate impacts, existing barriers, and specific strategies and techniques grounded in the cultural elements of the people we serve, with the goal of improving outcomes.
Participants will be able to:
- Describe how Mental Health and SUDs disproportionately impact marginalized and racialized populations;
- Describe the cultural elements, strengths, and resiliency that exist within disproportionately impacted individuals, families and communities; and
- Identify 5-8 specific techniques and strategies designed to improve outcomes, wellness and recovery for these populations.
Who Should Attend: All staff of family resource centers (FRCs), Child Abuse Prevention Councils (CAPCs), community-based organizations, and other child- and family-serving systems.
IMPORTANT TRAINING INFORMATION:
- This is an interactive training. Please be prepared to participate in activities such as group discussions, breakout rooms, and/or demonstrations. Your training experience will be best with the use of a webcam, audio, and a training environment conducive to active participation.
- This training will be recorded. The recording will be available to registered learners within 2 days of the training.
- AI Assistants: California privacy laws mandate consent for recording conversations using AI applications. To ensure a respectful and secure learning environment for all participants, AI assistants are not allowed in CalTrin training.
- Accessibility: We value an accessible learning environment. If you require a reasonable accommodation to support your learning, please email us at least five business days before the training.
- By registering for a CalTrin training, you consent to be added to the CalTrin mailing list.
MEET THE SPEAKER
Dr. Hernández is from Borikén (Puerto Rico), fluent in Spanish and English, and lives in Massachusetts. With more than 36 years of experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating Substance Use Disorder, Mental Health, HIV/AIDS, HCV, Problem Gambling, and related services, Dr. Hernandez leads with a social justice lens and approach grounded in eliminating disparities and building equity. As a public health professional, with experience across the continuum, he embraces and promotes a greater understanding of the structural determinants of health (SDOH) approach, coupled with implementing multiple strategies over multiple domains. Dr. Hernandez also believes that quality public health work cannot be accomplished without true partnerships and engagement with people with lived and living experiences, their families, and formal and meaningful relationships with community-based organizations and institutions.
Dr. Hernandez has served as a consultant to a wide range of organizations and institutions funded by federal, state, and local sources, including the Prevention, Addiction, and Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers, the Opioid Response Network, and other National Technical Assistance Centers (TTCs) located through the US. Dr. Hernandez has been a consultant with the New England ATTC for over 20 years. In this capacity, he delivers tailored technical assistance, capacity building, and training to people on the front lines of service delivery, as well as those in leadership and senior management roles. Currently, Dr. Hernandez is Chief of Public Health at New North Citizens’ Council in MA, serves as Senior Consultant at the Addiction Technology Transfer Center at Brown University, is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, and is on the Advisory Board of the National Hispanic and Latino Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. He also teaches at the New England Schools of Prevention and Addiction Studies and the Best Practices School and is President of the Massachusetts Addiction Counselor Certification Board.
As a person in long-term recovery, Haner is committed to uplifting the voices of people in recovery and wellness processes and works tirelessly to create equitable and meaningful access and quality of care to the entire Public Health Continuum, which includes Prevention, Intervention, The Multiple Pathways of Recovery, including Treatment, and Recovery Supports. Haner earned his GED in prison, a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Springfield College, and a Master of Education with concentrations in Counseling Psychology and Addiction Studies from Cambridge College in Massachusetts. He earned his doctoral degree at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
