THE LOOKOUT PODCAST
THE LOOKOUT PODCAST
Listen to our latest episode on Spotify!
Season 1:
Core Episode
Welcome to The Lookout Podcast! Today you'll meet our past president of The Lookout Project, Katherine Hankes, and our two new co-presidents, Rasha Hamoudi and Shravya Ghantasala. This episode talks about our organization's mission and introduces what we consider the gold standard of harm reduction - Overdose Prevention Centers.
The Lookout Project is a student-led 501(c)(3) non-profit that has been working since 2019 to mitigate the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic. We advocate for drug policy and criminal justice reform, educate the community about overdose prevention, and distribute free overdose response supplies such as intranasal naloxone and fentanyl testing strips. Our goal is to reduce overdose deaths and support people with substance use disorder through harm reduction.
01: Dr. Nathan Menke
Dr. Menke is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School. He cares for patients suffering from substance use disorders in the inpatient setting as part of a multidisciplinary team. The inpatient Addiction Consult Team initiates and titrates medications for opioid use disorder; manages withdrawal from opioids, alcohol, and benzodiazepines; treats pain in patients with tolerance to opioids; and helps connect patients to drug and alcohol treatment.
03: Candace Cavazos
In this episode, we are joined by our amazing mentor, Candace Cavazos, who is also the owner of The Deep End Cafe & Gallery in Southwest Detroit, the Mentor & External Engagement Manager at optiMize, U-M, and a professional poet & speaker! Candace here highlights her experience and advice in supporting loved ones with substance use disorder, and how overdose prevention centers are critical resources not only for those experiencing SUD, but also their loved ones as well.
02: Stephanie Buergers
We invited Stephanie Buergers for this episode of The Lookout Podcast for her insight on the opioid epidemic in Washtenaw County as well as how overdose prevention centers can benefit the community.
As a person in recovery, Stephanie is deeply committed to her work in substance use disorder/opioid use disorder. She integrates motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, the trauma recovery and empowerment model, and solution-focused therapy into her practice, always leading with empathy and compassion.
04: Mary Heinen McPhearson & Debra Wright
In this episode of The Lookout Podcast, we speak with Mary and Debra, both Master Social Workers dedicated to advocacy and reentry after incarceration. Mary, a lifelong advocate and co-founder of the Prison Creative Arts Project, helped secure gender equity in prison education through Glover v. Johnson while incarcerated and now leads efforts to expand arts and higher education opportunities for incarcerated people. Debra manages an outpatient substance use disorder program, launched a widely adopted engagement sobering program, and works with advocacy initiatives like the Washtenaw Recovery and Advocacy Project and Nation Outside to advance change in Michigan.