Understanding and Navigating the Institute of Medicine Continuum of Care in Substance Use Prevention Services
November 20 @ 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Session 4 of 4 in Our New to Prevention Learning Community
Overview:
Prevention efforts do not exist in a silo. From society- and community-wide health promotion strategies to induvial-level recovery services and aftercare, all substance use disorder (SUD) and other behavioral health services take place across a continuum. In this session, participants will learn about the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Continuum of Care and how it directly relates to California’s SUD prevention services and associated federal funding expectations. Participants will explore the IOM classifications of promotion, prevention, treatment, and maintenance as well as gain an understanding of where prevention ends, and where treatment begins. The classifications of universal indirect prevention, universal direct prevention, selective prevention, and indicated prevention will be examined, all with examples, to promote a comprehensive and clear understanding about how prevention interventions are classified, and why. Following this training, participants will be able to explain the IOM Continuum of Care as well as understand where their professional role and professional responsibilities fall within the Continuum.
About the Presenters
Charlie Seltzer (he/him) was the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) prevention coordinator for the Mendocino County Public Health Department for 10 years. When he retired from full time work, he became a consultant for CARS. Now, he gets to consult with people all across the state, assisting them to design and implement strategic plans and build capacity for their local prevention work. He enjoys offering SUD prevention trainings to the field and has led numerous Prevention-101 trainings, trainings on environmental prevention, the Strategic Prevention Framework, social determinants of health, conducting focus groups, designing logic models, and Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging issues for LGBTQ+ individuals, the disabled and rural populations. When he’s not working in the SUD prevention field, Charlie enjoys playing the piano, gardening, reading, cooking, hiking the beautiful hills of Mendocino County, and being home with his husband and their cat.
Chelsea Keller-Elliott (she/her) is a dedicated prevention strategist with a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her professional journey spans education, clinical mental health services, and behavioral health research, with a specialized focus on Network-Informed Prevention and supporting youth and families. Currently serving as the Director of Training and Curriculum on the University of Rochester’s Network Health and Prevention team, Chelsea develops adaptive curriculum for diverse populations—from schools and faith communities to professional and military settings. Her expertise centers on critical areas including suicide and substance abuse prevention, bystander intervention, and mental health strategies for career success.
What distinguishes Chelsea’s approach is her genuine commitment to human connection. She finds profound meaning in learning from each group she works with, believing that enhancing social supports can create transformative change. Her work is driven by a belief in the power of compassionate, evidence-based prevention strategies that support individual and community well-being.
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