Secure your spot now for 5th annual Fentanyl and Addictions Summit

The countdown begins.

The 5th annual Fentanyl and Addictions Summit — hosted by Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force — is now about a week away.

Come experience a powerful Native Hawaiian perspective on substance use and mental health, and join the movement to tackle those challenges together.

The summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29 at Mānā Christian ʻOhana, located at 67-1182 Lindsey Road, in Waimea. Check in opens at 8:15 a.m.

Registration is still open, so if you haven’t secured your spot, now is the time.

Presentations will include information about data analysis correlating work between public safety and behavioral health, highlighting community partners driven by the data.

There also are breakout sessions providing Native Hawaiian insight into substance use, stigma reduction through lived experience and cross-generational impacts.

Community partners will have resource booths onsite, and lunch will be provided.

This year’s keynote address will be given by nonprofit Vibrant Hawaiʻi Chief Executive Officer Janice Ikeda.

The organization is dedicated to strengthening community resilience, economic stability and civic participation around Hawaiʻi Island.

Ikeda has more than 20 years of experience in public service and nonprofit leadership. She now works at the intersection of community organizing, disaster preparedness and systems change in her role as Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s chief.

The nonprofit under her leadership helped establish a network of community-based Resilience Hubs, expand youth work-based learning opportunities through the ʻŌAKA program and mobilize residents to take collective action on housing, economic development and disaster readiness.

Ikeda’s work emphasizes place-based solutions that draw on local knowledge, relationships and cultural values.

She frequently convenes cross-sector partners to address complex community challenges and ensure that local voices inform policy and planning.

Featured panels and conversations

Here is a quick look at some of the other presentations that are planned for this year’s summit.

Community Action and Response

• This panel is focused on solutions in action, bringing together leaders working on the frontlines of prevention and public health. Attendees will gain insight into how community efforts, policy and partnerships drive change around Hawaiʻi Island.

‘Inana: Healing Begins by Returning to Who We Are

• Explore a culturally-grounded approach to healing that reconnects people to identity, ʻāina and ancestral knowledge. Rooted in moʻolelo, chant and place-based practices, this work reframes recovery as a relational and intergenerational journey that emphasizes belonging, connection and a return to who we are.

Voice, Truth and the Human Impact of Addiction

• This segment centers lived experiences, offering honest insight into the realities of substance use, recovery and healing. Panelists will share their journeys, challenges they faced in seeking support and the role of culture, community and connection in finding their way forward.

Keala O Kekoa (The Path of the Warrior): A Community and Cultural Pathway to Substance Use Prevention and Treatment

• A culturally-grounded approach to substance use prevention and treatment rooted in Native Hawaiian values and community connection. Centered within Mālama Recovery Services, this model integrates cultural practice, trauma-informed care and trusted relationships to support healing, restore identity and strengthen outcomes for individuals and families impacted by substance use.

Learn more about the upcoming conference and each of the speakers by visiting the Hawaiʻi Island Fentanyl Task Force website.

Continuing education credits also are available for those who attend the summit.

Deadline to register is April 25.