Richard Ries, MD, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington State Health Care Authority for his longstanding work with the annual Co-Occuring Disorders and Treatment Washington State Conference. He and Dennis Donovan, PhD, started the COD & Treatment Conference in the late 1980s to share current information on co-occuring disorders and treatment among professionals from behavioral health, developmental disabilities, adult and youth corrections, and physical health.
The goal of the conference is to promote integration of services across the public mental health, substance use disorder, developmental disabilities, and medical systems; promote knowledge about co-occurring disorders and the value of integration; support the development of a co-occurring capable system of care; and advocate and partner with others to promote integrated treatment and recovery for all people.
Over 500 people were in attendance this year.