Members/Partners

Member Profiles


Regina Whisett

Name: Regina Whitsett

Title: Education Coordinator

Company/Organization: Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Enforcement Division

ODP Member Since: August 2009

ODP Committee Affiliation: Community Readiness

 

Summarize your professional background relevant to Age Wave preparedness.

Regina Whitsett is an Education Coordinator in the Enforcement Division of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (VA ABC).  In this role, Mrs. Whitsett chairs the national and state award winning Alcohol and Aging Awareness Group (AAAG) created by VA ABC in March 2007. 

As chair of the AAAG, Mrs. Whitsett works in collaboration with over 25 state and private organizations to address alcohol misuse and alcohol and medication interactions in older adults.  Under Mrs. Whitsett’s leadership, the AAAG disseminates educational resources to consumers and service providers and maintains an active Speaker’s Bureau providing speakers for professional and private conferences.  VA ABC and the AAAG have sponsored three highly evaluated state conferences training more than 500 geriatric service providers on alcohol, medication and the older adult.  Mrs. Whitsett produced and directed a nationally recognized media campaign with a public health message about alcohol and medication interactions that reached over 750,000 older Virginians. 

Prior to moving to Virginia, Mrs. Whitsett resided in Florida for 21 years where she was a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist for adults and youth at a non-profit agency and county mental health facility. Mrs. Whitsett spearheaded an educational campaign addressing Substance Abuse and the Older Adult in a county where the majority of the population was over 60 years of age.

Before entering the mental health field in 1996, Mrs. Whitsett earned her legal assistant degree from Barry University and practiced as a civil trial paralegal for 12 years.

What expertise or other strengths do you bring to the Older Dominion Partnership?

Mrs. Whitsett is able to develop effective collaborative relationships with both public and private partners.  She has the ability to convene and maintain the commitment of a group of professionals or agencies to focus on a common cause.  She is able to delegate, motivate, and engage these same individuals in affecting community change. 

Mrs. Whitsett has also coordinated the AAAG Speakers Bureau for over two years; scheduling 30 trainings and participation in 10 exhibit fairs to raise awareness among consumers and geriatric service providers about the dangers of alcohol and medication misuse by older adults.  Mrs. Whitsett has expertise in public relations, writing articles for various publications, and supervising an award winning media campaign. 

What do you believe are the most pressing issues in Age Wave-preparedness in Virginia today?

There is no doubt that the aging cohort from the 1970s is altering the demographic characteristics of older adults in need of addiction services.  This will eventually put a strain on the limited resources available for treatment and clinical programs targeted to older adults.  Estimates of the prevalence of heavy drinking or alcohol abuse among older adults range from 2% to 20% (Menninger, 2002; Ondus, Hujer, Mann, & Mion, 1999; Pennington, Butler, & Eagger, 2000; Rigler, 2000).  According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (SAMHSA, 2004), there was a statistically significant decrease between 2002 and 2003 in the proportion of adults age 65 or older reporting past month use of alcohol (from 38.3% to 34.4%), although the proportion of binge drinkers and heavy alcohol users remained approximately the same (7.2% and 1.8% respectively).   

Based upon the above data, a State level strategic plan should be created and implemented to:

  • Identify special issues the older adult population faces with regard to Substance Misuse Disorders;
  • Gather information about any Older Adult services Community Services Boards are currently providing;
  • Support research to better understand the barriers to prevention and intervention among older adults in Virginia and to identify the service gaps;
  • Support educational initiatives to raise awareness among older adults, their families, and geriatric health care providers of the risks of alcohol misuse among older adults, particularly when mixing alcohol with prescription medications;
  • Support a demonstration project to define best practices for decision making among older adults and their care providers concerning alcohol use, and specifically involve older adult consumers in these discussions related to the needs of their peer group;
  • Instruct geriatric health care providers through mandated trainings in the technique of proper screening and referral of older adults for alcohol and other drug use services;
  • Create services or treatment programs to accommodate older adults identified with substance misuse disorders.      
  • The planning, or lack thereof, for health and wellness and medical and socialization needs of older Virginians should also be addressed.

What advice do you have for age wave planning in Virginia?

It is imperative State level policymakers take action now to prepare for the projected needs of the older adults of Virginia.  Resources need to be directed to this target audience so health prevention services can focus on education of older Virginians and their geriatric service providers about alcohol and medications.  Agencies need to work in collaboration to increase communication and to determine strategies that can be quickly and successfully implemented in order to address the growing mental health care needs of older Virginians.  As education, screening and referrals increase, treatment demands will increase as well.  The substance abuse and mental health treatment systems will need a shift in focus to address the special needs of an older population of substance abusers.