Be a Part of the Conversation is proud to collaborate with the Montgomery County Office of Drug and Alcohol!
The Office of Drug and Alcohol contracts with various agencies to provide drug and alcohol prevention education and problem gambling prevention in schools and within the community. Programs are offered free of charge and are tailored to meet the community’s needs.
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services collaboratively provides an accessible network of resources that fosters, supports, and enhances the health and well-being of Montgomery County residents.
Contact Information
Linda Moore-Singleton
Administrator of Drug & Alcohol Services, Montgomery County
LMooreSingleton@montcopa.org
Katie Kucz, MPH
Prevention Coordinator, Office of Drug and Alcohol, Montgomery County
KKucz@montcopa.org
Nia Coaxum, MPH, CHES
Prevention Specialist, Office of Drug and Alcohol, Montgomery County
ncoaxum@montcopa.org
Neda Soltani, MPH/LSW
Opioid Use Disorder Coordinator
Office of Drug and Alcohol/Public Health
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
NSoltani@montcopa.org
Following up on the October 5, 2021 Online Program,
“Out of Isolation & Into Recovery”
This program provided guidance for finding treatment and other resources in Montgomery County, including assessments, harm reduction services, and options for making connections that support recovery.
We heard from Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Resources, Prevention Point Philadelphia, PRO-ACT and others who help us to navigate the path to recovery.
This program was funded by the Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services.
Meet Our Presenters!
Neda Soltani, MPH, LSW
Opioid Use Disorder Coordinator
Office of Drug and Alcohol/Public Health
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
Silvana Mazzella
Associate Executive Director
Prevention Point Philadelphia
Claudia Herman BA, CRS, CFRS
Montgomery County Recovery Community Center Coordinator
PRO-ACT, The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania
Kim Porter, CFRS
Executive Director
Be a Part of the Conversation
View a recording of the program.
Youth Marijuana Prevention Project
Visit this section to learn about the five-year initiative called the Youth Marijuana Prevention Project (YMPP). Be a Part of the Conversation is pleased to partner with the Montgomery County Office of Drug & Alcohol to raise awareness of the effects of marijuana use on young people. The Youth Marijuana Prevention Project launched in July 2019 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Claudia Herman's Resources
Claudia’s PowerPoint Presentation: https://conversation.zone/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021.10.5-Claudia.pdf
Calendar for the PRO-ACT: https://conversation.zone/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/October-2021-MCRCC-Calendar-Edit-2.pdf
Calendar for the Montgomery County Recovery Community Center: https://conversation.zone/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/October-2021-Center-Calendar-edit-2.pdf
Claudia Herman
Since entering recovery, Claudia has a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) and a Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS). She has been employed by The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania/PRO-ACT for four years. She began her new career as a volunteer at the Montgomery County chapter of PRO-ACT. As a volunteer, she had the opportunity to become an Engagement Specialist in 2018. In July of 2020, Claudia was promoted to Recovery Programs Specialist and was tasked with recruiting, training and supervising volunteers and developing recovery support programming for the Montgomery County Recovery Community Center (MRCC). She was recently promoted to Coordinator of MCRCC, whose mission is to provide an environment that is safe, compassionate and peer driven that affords our participants the opportunity to develop skills and recovery tools to assist them in maintaining their recovery!
email: cherman@councilsepa.org
Address: 601 DeKalb Street, Suite 1, Norristown, PA 19401
Phone Numbers:
- Main: 484-383-0802
- Claudia Herman: 215-429-1524
Silvana Mazzella
Silvana Mazzella has been at Prevention Point Philadelphia for 13 years and serves as the organization’s Associate Executive Director. Silvana is responsible for program planning, initial implementation, and evaluation of all programs and services. Until 2017, Silvana directly managed the Overdose Prevention Program and the Syringe Access Program. Silvana has been the Principal Investigator for several research initiatives at PPP. Prior to working at Prevention Point, Silvana worked at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, in the Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health (MCFH), as a Community Development Coordinator, and then as a Health Systems Planner. Prior to her work at the Health Department, Silvana worked as a non-profit consultant, grant-writer, and staff recruiter.
email: silvana@ppponline.org
Pam, Bill & Kayte Roberts
Pam & Bill Roberts are parents who have been impacted by a loved one’s substance use disorder. They helped to create the many parent support groups meeting regularly throughout the region.
Their daughter, Kayte Roberts, LMFT, is a person in long-term recovery from addiction.
Pam’s email: Pam.Roberts@pfizer.com
Bill’s email: robertsbill99@gmail.com
Kayte’s email: kayteroberts87@gmail.com
Marta Cofone, MSS, NCC
Marta Cofone, MS, NCC is a psychotherapist specializing in addiction and trauma for individuals and couples. She has experience in all levels of substance abuse treatment and is currently working in private practice at A Better Life Therapy.
Email: martakcofone@gmail.com
Kelly Lloyd
Kelly Lloyd is a Deputy District Attorney in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and currently serves as the Chief of the Diversion and Pretrial Division. She oversees all diversion programs, including Montgomery County’s three treatment courts, as well as entry-level attorneys in the office. In addition to this role, she also serves as a Legislative Liaison on behalf of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys’ Association, working closely with the PDAA’s Executive Director advocating on behalf of the Commonwealth’s District Attorneys with Pennsylvania state legislators, including speaking with elected Senators, Representatives, and their staff on proposed and existing legislation. Ms. Lloyd has been with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office since 2010 and has prosecuted many serious offenders during her tenure, including murderers, high-level drug traffickers, gang members, and former correctional officers. She previously supervised Montgomery County’s Investigating Grand Jury, as well as the drug and firearms units.
Email: klloyd@montcopa.org
Edward F. McCann, Jr.
As First Assistant, Ed McCann oversees the day-to-day administration of the office, supervises the legal staff and oversees the prosecution of approximately 9,000 cases annually.
McCann is a seasoned prosecutor with a wealth of experience. In 2019, he prosecuted five corrections officers and two supervisors for assaulting inmates in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility and covering it up, obtaining convictions from a jury on two of the defendants for official oppression. Last year, McCann also prosecuted and obtained convictions of Lisa Smith and Keiff King for First-Degree Murder in the beating death of 4-year-old Tahjir Smith, which began after the boy spilled his breakfast cereal.
These are just two of the significant cases McCann has prosecuted since joining the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, coming in with DA Steele in 2016. Other notable cases include Commonwealth v. Joshua Trunk for the execution-style murder of his mother and her boyfriend. He also successfully prosecuted multiple members of two rival gangs who had been terrorizing Pottstown with shooting and violence before their arrests and convictions on a variety of charges, ranging from drug dealing to attempted murder.
Prior to joining the Montco DA’s Office, McCann spent 26 years in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, including serving as the First Assistant from 2011 to 2015. There, he prosecuted a number of noteworthy cases, including leading the grand jury investigation into the death of Danieal Kelly, a 14-year-old girl who died horribly neglected in her home while supposedly being monitored by the City’s Department of Human Services. He obtained convictions of all nine defendants charged in that case.
McCann is committed to community service and to children’s causes. He sits on the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Legal and Medical Advisory Board on Child Abuse, which reviews cases of child abuse and neglect, and is on the Mission Kids Management Team. He is a frequent speaker and educator, conducting national trainings for prosecutors, law enforcement and social workers in the investigation and prosecution of cases of physical abuse of children and domestic violence. He is also an instructor on mental health defenses and homicide investigation and prosecution.
Email: emccann2@montcopa.org
Jill Adams, SFW
Beginning her career in the juvenile justice field as a graduate from Bloomsburg University, Jill has worked with at-risk youth for more than ten years in multiple facets from juvenile detention, victim services, and juvenile probation, to treating adolescents with substance use disorders and creating programs to serve adolescents with substance use and mental health diagnoses. Jill is the Director of Adolescent Services for Rehab After School and The Light Program which operate under the Onward Behavioral Health organization.
Jill is also a state-wide trainer for the Victim Awareness Curriculum through the National Center for Juvenile Justice and is a certified strengths-based family worker through her work with Temple University, Harrisburg. She enjoys presenting to parents, youth, and other professionals on topics of prevention and intervention. Jill believes that a combination of traditional and progressive treatment modalities work best to achieve healing in a treatment setting in addition to strong family and community connections.
At home, Jill shares her time with her son, daughter, and husband and enjoys activities such as yoga and her “natural high” of cooking.
Email: JAdams@lifemgmt.org
Rick Shugart, MFT
Rick Shugart is a Family Therapist specializing in addiction treatment for individuals, couples and families. He has been in private practice for twenty-five years. Currently, Rick is in private practice full time and lectures and presents at psychotherapy conferences.
Email: rickshugartmft@aol.com
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean
Madeleine Dean is the congresswoman for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania, suburban Philadelphia, a member of the House Judiciary and House Financial Services committees, and vice chair of the bipartisan Women’s Caucus. From 2012 to 2018 she served in the Pennsylvania House. From 2001 to 2011 she taught writing at La Salle University, and she has contributed to Newsweek, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and other regional publications. She and her husband, PJ Cunnane, live in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and have three sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren.
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Harry Cunnane
Harry Cunnane has been an active member of the addiction recovery community since his recovery began more than seven years ago, participating in a twelve-step program and volunteering at rehabs and jails around Philadelphia to spread a message of hope. He now works as a resource director for the same treatment center where he originally sought help for his own addiction. He lives in Audubon, New Jersey, with his wife, Juliet; his daughter, Aubrey; and his son, Sawyer.
Email: Hcunnane@caron.org
J. Gregory Hobelmann, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Greg Hobelmann serves as the joint CEO of Ashley Addiction Treatment together with Alex Denstman. He previously worked as a staff psychiatrist and until recently as the senior vice president and chief clinical and medical officer here at Ashley. As joint CEOs, Greg and Alex share responsibilities, with Greg overseeing Medical Services and Nursing, all of Ashley’s inpatient and outpatient programs, extended care programs, Stabilization Unit, Spiritual and Weekend Counseling, Family Services, as well as Dietary, Quality Improvement, Health Information Management, and Patient Support and Transportation. Greg holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completed a psychiatry and anesthesiology residency as well as a pain medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins.
Prior to his arrival at Ashley, Greg worked as an interventional pain specialist. His special treatment interests include substance use disorders and chronic pain. Greg is committed to assuring that all our patients and their families receive the most innovative and excellent holistic care on their recovery journey.
Tom McDermitt, B.A., AAC
Tom McDermitt is a person in long term recovery. He entered treatment in August of 1995 a broken, scared gay man addicted to crystal meth. He had been struggling with alcohol and drugs but when he discovered meth he knew there was nothing else he wanted to do. Meth gave him a freedom where he did not care what anyone thought of him and also fueled a sex addiction that went in conjunction with the meth use. What started off as all night dancing in the gay clubs of DC, ended with him shooting meth on a daily basis. His world fell apart quickly and after years of using he ended up alone in a dark apartment shooting meth by candlelight. After reaching out for help his family helped him get into treatment. The first year was a daily struggle but there was also a willingness to give sobriety a try for one year with the guidance of a sponsor. At about three months sober, Tom had the opportunity to attend an HIV Retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania, which ended up being a life altering experience. With the support of AA, a ton of therapy, attending these retreats four times a year, and being willing to do whatever it takes to stay sober, Tom has been sober for more than 25 years.
Tom joined Caron Treatment Centers in 2004 and started as a Counselor Assistant in the Adolescent Extended Care Units. Today he is the Regional Resource Director for Pennsylvania, excluding the Greater Philadelphia region and Ohio. In this role he works to help families get loved ones into Caron for treatment. Tom offers his support and expertise for patients that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Tom organizes and helps to facilitate Caron’s LGBTQ+ Retreats that are offered three times a year on main campus. Tom also speaks on behalf of Caron about addiction in the LGBTQ+ community. Tom is a sought after speaker throughout the United States to share his story at conventions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Kim Porter, CFRS
Kim Porter is the Executive Director of Be a Part of the Conversation. Her Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS) credential was created for adults who have been directly impacted by another person’s substance use disorder. The CFRS shares their lived experience with other family members to provide recovery support services. A CFRS is trained to help families move into and through the recovery process.
Kim is the parent of someone in long term recovery, which led her to explore the impact of addiction on families and help create Be a Part of the Conversation in 2011. Before that time, Kim worked as a graphic designer and marketing consultant since 1985.
Jerry Kosmin, MHA, MS, LPC
Jerry Kosmin joined Malvern Health in May 2019. Prior to his current position, he served as the Director of Business Development for Fairmount Behavioral Health System, a 239-bed behavioral health facility, for over sixteen years. Previously, he worked for PennFriends, a managed care organization and was the Director of Mental Health Treatment Services for Horizon House, a large community mental health organization. Between 1991 and 1998, Jerry held various roles with Advantage Recovery Network/PsychResource Associates and last held the position of Practice Director for one of their Intensive Outpatient Program sites in Philadelphia.
Jerry has thirty years of achievement in the behavioral healthcare industry both in the private and public sector. Jerry is an accomplished marketing/business development director, program/clinical development leader, administrative and fiscal manager.
Jerry graduated from The University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1989. He then received a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from the State University of New York-Albany in 1990. Jerry also graduated from St. Joseph’s University in 2001 with a Master of Science in Health Administration. He has been licensed as a Professional Counselor since 2001.
Email: JKosmin@malvernhealthinc.com
Dr. Peter Swanljung
Dr. Peter Swanljung joined Malvern Health in April 2014. Dr. Swanljung has been board certified in psychiatry since 2007 and is certified in addiction medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. After completing his residency, Dr. Swanljung became the Medical Director of the General Adult Unit at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, serving as an expert witness in mental health court and also serving as president of the medical staff. In 2014, Dr. Swanljung was hired at Malvern as the Chief of Psychiatry at the Willow Grove campus. He also serves as Medical Director of the IBC Counseling Center in Trevose, PA
Since 2014, Dr. Swanljung’s primary focus has been providing compassionate evidence-based psychiatric and addiction medicine treatment to patients in both residential and outpatient settings.
Dr. Swanljung graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of William and Mary in 1995. He went on to earn his M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine in 2002 where he graduated with honors in Behavioral Science and Psychiatry. Dr. Swanljung completed an internship in family practice at Chestnut Hill Hospital in 2003 and completed an adult psychiatry residency at Drexel University in 2006. While at Drexel, he served as Chief Resident and earned awards for Outstanding Performance in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Clinical Excellence.
Nicole Mountney, LMFT
Nicole Mountney is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and serves as the Director of Family Services for Malvern Treatment Centers. She brings 12 years of clinical leadership experience providing trauma-informed, co-occurring behavioral health treatment, inclusive of community-based mental health, residential treatment, and private practice in the Greater Philadelphia area. Over the past ten years, Nicole has been a Clinical Director in Montgomery County serving at-risk children, adults, and families. Her commitment to building relationships and cross-system partnerships with agency providers/community stakeholders has enhanced service quality, cultural responsivity, and trauma-informed care for many individuals and families facing life-altering challenges.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Family Therapy from Drexel University, and is a Certified Supervisor of the EcoSystemic Family Therapy (EFT) model. Her areas of professional interest include enhancing Trauma Informed Care in complex clinical settings, clinical supervision, and creating professional development opportunities that support collaborative/compassionate teams. She is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor Candidate of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Nicole brings a strong systems perspective to Malvern Treatment Centers and will play a unique role to further develop clinical services for individuals and their loved ones.
Al Hart
Al has been working in the field for 30 plus years in various community based settings, in a variety of populations including Delinquent Mental Health and Addiction. Al obtained a Masters of Human Services in 1999 from Lincoln University. He began working at Malvern in 2013. Worked at the King Road site as a supervisor and then assumed the current position of Director of Intervention Services in 2017. The ROC program is one of his responsibilities since he has been involved. They went from meeting once each week to three meetings per week, now using the BlueJeans application. Prior to COVID there were three meetings in three counties. Al’s other role as Malvern’s representative of the alumni allowed him to merge the two sites and increase participation with social and recreational activities. In his role with interventions, he has successfully helped more than 300 individuals get into some type of treatment.
Email: AHart@malverntreatment.com
Neda Soltani, MPH, LSW
Neda Soltani is a Licensed Social Worker and the Overdose Data to Action Grant Coordinator for Montgomery County. She has a background in prevention education and health promotion.
Email: NSoltani@montcopa.org
Patrick Dowling, LPC
Patrick Dowling is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling/Marriage and Family Therapy. Patrick has trained and worked as an advanced addictions counselor for over twenty years, clinical supervisor, clinical director, administrator, and as a human being. He utilizes various models of therapy including family systems, motivational interviewing, dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction), trauma treatment, and relapse prevention. Patrick has been especially known for his successful assistance with families in complex interventions.
Email: patrickdowlinglpc@gmail.com
Andrew
Andrew battled alcoholism and drug addiction at a young age, getting sober at 19. He is now 22 and back in school preparing to transfer to the University of California system, and is employed at a paddle board/kayak rental facility. Staying connected to other young men trying to get sober is his main goal in sobriety.
Email: andrewbader33@gmail.com
Kay McGowan
Kay McGowan, B.A., M.S., is the Administrator of the Office of Drug & Alcohol for the Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services. Kay has been the Administrator of the Office of Drug & Alcohol for the last five (5) years and has worked in various positions within the office for the past thirty-two (32) years. Kay has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Kutztown University and a Master’s of Science degree in Human Organization Science from Villanova University. Kay is committed to the prevention of, treatment for and recovery from substance use disorders.
David Clements, MD
Dr. Clements is a compassionate, engaging, personable psychiatrist and the founder of Southeastern Executive Health. He grew up in the Philadelphia area, and has recently moved to Wilmington. He enjoys fishing on the Chesapeake bay, golfing with his wife, and gardening.
His practice philosophy is that the connection between physician and patient is the most important component to success. He understands that stigma can be a barrier to care, and practices in discrete locations without significant signage to respect patient privacy
– ABPN Board Certified General Psychiatrist – 2017
– ABPN Board Certified Addiction Psychiatrist – 2018
– Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship – University of Pennsylvania
– Psychiatry Residency – Cooper University Hospital
– M.D. Temple University School of Medicine
– M.B.S. Drexel University
– B.S. Lafayette College – Mechanical Engineering
E. Steven Moriconi, DMD
E. Steven Moriconi, DMD frequently collaborates with Be a Part of the Conversation as a featured speaker for our programs that address opioid use disorder. Passionate about educating the public, as well as fellow prescribers throughout Pennsylvania, Dr. Moriconi’s message delivers a clear understanding of safe prescribing practices and the treatment of pain. He has become interested in substance use disorder, particularly opioid use, and feels that education about our current epidemic is very important, particularly as dentists have prescribed large numbers of narcotics over the years. He is currently the Pennsylvania Dental Association’s official lecturer on Safe Prescribing Practices. Dr. Moriconi’s two-hour course is required for dentists to be licensed in the State of Pennsylvania.
Since 1987, Dr. Moriconi has served as Chief of the Dental Division and Program Director of the Abington Hospital Dental Residency. He is an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, having graduated in 1978, and completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. He also maintains a private practice in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.
Lizzy Lopez, MA, LPC, NCC
Steve Kerrigan
Steven Kerrigan, CRS
Steve is currently employed as a Certified Recovery Specialist at the Council of Southeast PA in the Warm Handoff Program, and as the Director of Housing at Limitless Recovery Centers. A person in long-term recovery who is passionate about his own recovery and about helping others.
