Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment Services staff attended the 40th Annual Governor’s Conference on Substance Abuse. The Governor’s Conference offered a variety of keynote speakers and several breakout sessions including Medication Assisted Treatment Panel, Pills and Thrills that Kills: What’s Trending, Meth in Iowa: Still Alive and Kicking, Why Treatment For Problem Gamblers is Failing, and The Multicultural Competent Counselor: From Awareness to Skills Competency.

Several of our staff found the keynote, Human Trafficking: It is Here and Thriving in Iowa, presented by Ruth Buckels, LMSW, to be very informative and eye opening. Human trafficking is not just an international and national problem, it is a local problem. Iowa’s rural landscape, interstate system and connectivity and proximity to urban centers like Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Omaha make it an appealing place to find victims.  She pointed out that slavery still exists, it’s just changed forms.  Ruth believes that, “Involved, connected, observant, protective people are THE DETERENT TO TRAFFICKERS.”  For more information about human trafficking in Iowa, please visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/state/iowa

We were very happy to be able to attend the conference and look forward to attending again next year