Dr. Anton Bizzell Joins U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to Combat Opioid Crisis

Dr. Anton Bizzell Joins U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to Combat Opioid Crisis

April 8, 2019 (Lanham, MD) – President and CEO of The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), Anton Bizzell, M.D., will partner with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for the launch of Sharing Solutions – a campaign and online resource designed to help local businesses combat the opioid crisis.

“We have heard from many small and midsize business owners struggling to find a way to address prescription drug misuse among their employees and families, said Carolyn Cawley, president of the Chamber Foundation. “Employer specific resources are thin, and they’re scattered. Our campaign collects and curates credible resources to help employers get what they need more quickly.”

Dr. Bizzell, a U.S. Chamber Foundation Fellow, will serve as the substance abuse expert, advising The Chamber Foundation’s campaign, which will include a tour of ten hard-hit cities, where workshops and community education will be provided. Dr. Bizzell will lead and moderate panel discussions with other business leaders, sharing innovative solutions to help employers address the opioid crisis through changes in business processes, employee engagement, core competencies, and community outreach.

“Businesses at the core of our communities can help solve this public health crisis – starting with our families and people in the workplace,” said Dr. Bizzell. “As a business owner, I am honored to be a part of this movement, saving lives and making resources accessible to the people who need them most.”

Dr. Bizzell has more than 20 years of combined clinical, research, health services, policy and management experience with various private and public organizations and agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Most of his career has been spent on public health issues related to access and quality of medical, substance abuse and behavioral health services. Dr. Bizzell founded Bizzell in order to continue to drive change and address public health issues.

About Bizzell

Established in 2010, The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) strategic management and consulting firm that specializes in Program & Project Management, Administrative Support, Communication & Outreach, Conference Management & Logistical Support, Health Services & Research, Technical Assistance, as well as Training & Development. Bizzell is a partner of choice for federal, state and local government agencies and private organizations. Bizzell’s expert staff and consultants work on health, scientific, education, environment, research, and information technology projects that meet national priorities.

Under the leadership and vision of founder, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, the company has grown from a staff of two in one small office, to a thriving firm with three offices in Lanham, MD, Rockville, MD, and Atlanta, GA with ongoing projects across the world.

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness. We educate the public on the conditions necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future.

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

 

Download this press release here.

The Bizzell Group Contact
Trevis Cage
Director of Communications
301-459-0100 ext. 130
www.BizzellUS.com

People First: How Bizzell is Cultivating the Next Generation of Health Professionals

People First: How Bizzell is Cultivating the Next Generation of Health Professionals

Lanham, MD – February 28, 2019 – On Saturday, February 9th, Senior Associate for The Bizzell Group (Bizzell), Dr. Rhonda Waller, was invited to participate in the Spelman College Health Careers Program Mock Interview Day. The Mock Interview Day prepares Health Careers students for the types of interviews they will likely encounter during the application cycle for internships, and graduate and professional schools.

“My dedication to Spelman College is rooted in my service to the institution that changed the trajectory of my life,” said Dr. Waller, graduate of Spelman College. “As an interviewer, I was able to provide immediate and direct feedback to students and share with them the work we do at Bizzell.”

Dr. Waller is a Psychologist, Professor, and Maternal and Child Health Specialist with more than 30 years of professional experience in administration, project management, organizational development, technical assistance, policy analysis, and community outreach. Dr. Waller is highly-skilled in program design and implementation, coalition building, and the development of community-based strategies to improve access to health care and education. While at Bizzell, Dr. Waller has led projects for Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Behavioral Health and HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Center (BH-HIVTAC) and SAMHSA’s Targeted Capacity Expansion: Medication Assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction (MAT-PDOA) Policy Academy.

Bizzell’s commitment to professional development, diversity, and service translates outside of the traditional work space and into the community. “We owe it to the next generation of public health professionals to support them as they grow and to let them see how we implement innovation and excellence in the health services and research arenas,” Dr. Waller added. “Minorities are often underrepresented in health professions, so it’s important that we continue to engage with students at HBCUs like Spelman College and provide insight into career paths they may not have considered otherwise.”

Dr. Waller serves as the Corresponding Secretary for the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and is the proud mother of a current Spelmanite, Kai Adura Waller (C’2019).

About Bizzell

Established in 2010, The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) strategic management and consulting firm that specializes in Program & Project Management, Administrative Support, Communication & Outreach, Conference Management & Logistical Support, Health Services & Research, Technical Assistance, as well as Training & Development. Bizzell is a partner of choice for federal, state and local government agencies and private organizations. Bizzell’s expert staff and consultants work on health, scientific, education, environment, research, and information technology projects that meet national priorities.

Under the leadership and vision of founder, Dr. Anton C. Bizzell, the company has grown from a staff of two in one small office to a thriving firm with three offices in Lanham, MD, Rockville, MD, and Atlanta, GA with ongoing projects across the world.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day

Lisa Black – November 30, 2018

December 1, 2018 is World AIDS Day.  This year’s federal theme is “Saving Lives through Leadership and Partnership.”  HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is a serious public health crisis.  According to (UNAIDS) the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, there were approximately 36.9 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS in 2017; 1.8 million are children who are under the age of 15.  In 2017, an estimated 1.8 million individuals worldwide became newly infected with HIV—nearly 5000 new infections per day.  This includes 180,000 children, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa and were infected by their HIV-positive mothers during pregnancy (mother-to-child transmission) or during breastfeeding.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, pregnant women and their babies are at risk because:  

  • Pregnant women with HIV may not know they are infected, and women may not know that their partner has HIV.
  • Preconception care and family planning services are often not provided in HIV care settings.
  • Women living with HIV may not know they are pregnant, how to prevent or safely plan a pregnancy, or what they can do to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their baby.
  • The risk of transmitting HIV to the baby is much higher if the mother does not stay on HIV treatment throughout pregnancy, labor, or delivery, or if HIV medicine is not provided to her baby. The risk is also higher if the mother acquires HIV during pregnancy. 
  • Social and economic factors, especially poverty, may make it harder for some women living with HIV to access health care.

In recognition of World AIDS Day, we are dedicated to, “Saving Lives through Leadership and Partnerships.”    

The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) is committed to improving global health and we recognize that economic growth of nations.  It is our mission to provide quality research, education, training, and technical assistance related to this worldwide public health crisis.  We are a leader in partnering to set global standards for HIV prevention, the care and treatment of pregnant women, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission; and the development of evidence-based strategies and global health initiatives.

Bizzell offers full-scale global and social impact assessments.  Our team members and subject matter experts have vast experience in addressing global health disparities, with an emphasis on improving worldwide health conditions by using data-driven strategies.  We offer expert support in the monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework; program and knowledge management; technology solutions; logistics; environmental scans; baseline studies; needs assessments; program development and implementation; and compliance and program auditing.

Bizzell has supported programs across the globe.  We are committed to improving global health conditions by offering our expertise and cadre of subject matter experts to identify and address health disparities.  Our goal is to find sustainable solutions to intractable international problems by supporting agencies, organizations, or other governing bodies who are equally committed to making a positive global impact.  Bizzell staff has previously managed programs in Africa including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and worked in Asia, including Thailand, has supported programs in Europe, and provided expert support in Haiti and the Pacific Islands.  Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Bizzell staff worked to improve global health and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS. Bizzell staff has also provided proposal development, and programmatic and administrative support for the Military Malaria Research Program, which supports the development of a vaccine and drugs to treat malaria.

The Bizzell team oversaw the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) Global AIDS Program that established technical and financial infrastructure systems for the Global AIDS Program’s (GAP).  Bizzell supported the GAP missions in Ethiopia and Malawi by developing protocols for establishing and sustaining relationships between U.S. entities and local organizations, such as the Ministry of Health (MoH), military, local schools, and hospitals. This included developing, designing, and implementing administrative systems within the Office of the Chief of Party, including procurement, budget, and personnel systems.  The Bizzell team also established and implemented monitoring and evaluation systems, including evidence- based trainings to support effective public health programs for HIV/AIDS, TB and STI in Ethiopia, and facilitated linkages to other in-country programs and organizations for sharing of monitoring and evaluation data.

Bizzell; “Saving Lives through Leadership and Partnerships.”

PTSD Awareness Day

PTSD Awareness Day

The National Center for PTSD promotes awareness of PTSD and effective treatments throughout the year. Starting in 2010, Congress named June 27th PTSD Awareness Day.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. PTSD can happen to anyone at any age and includes war veterans, children, and people who have been through physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and genes may make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others.  PTSD happens after traumatic events that cause people to have painful memories. For many people, the effects of the traumatic fade over time, but others are unable to make the thoughts and feelings go away even months or years after the event has occurred.

PTSD symptoms usually start immediately after the traumatic event:

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has a list of symptoms for PTSD:

  1. Reliving the event (also called re-experiencing symptoms). You may have bad memories or nightmares. You even may feel like you’re going through the event again. This is called a flashback.
  2. Avoiding situations that remind you of the event. You may try to avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may even avoid talking or thinking about the event.
  3. Having more negative beliefs and feelings. The way you think about yourself and others may change because of the trauma. You may feel guilt or shame. Or, you may not be interested in activities you used to enjoy. You may feel that the world is dangerous and you can’t trust anyone. You might be numb, or find it hard to feel happy.
  4. Feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal). You may be jittery or always alert and on the lookout for danger. Or, you may have trouble concentrating or sleeping. You might suddenly get angry or irritable, startle easily, or act in unhealthy ways (like smoking, using drugs and alcohol, or driving recklessly.

Below is a list of PTSD screens, that is, brief questionnaires that may identify people who are more likely to have PTSD.

For each measure, a brief description, sample items, versions, and references are provided. Information on how to obtain the measure is also provided.