Vern Williams

Background

About Vern Williams

I currently serve as a staff physician for three residential treatment facilities on the north Oregon coast; Astoria Pointe, The Rosebriar and Awakenings by the Sea. I also serve as a consultant to the Hawaii Program for Healthcare Professionals, Pu'ulu Lapaau, in Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition, I provide expert witness services on issues related to drug use. I have extensive experience working with a wide range of substance abuse patients, from many different backgrounds and cultures. For seven years I served as the medical director for the Native American Rehabilitation Association, an organization that treats Native Americans and others with substance abuse problems. I am a former consultant to the Oregon Health Professionals Program and briefly served on that programs supervisory board, prior to my association with Hazelden. I was the Medical Director of Hazelden Springbrook from 2005 to 2013. At that time I was in charge of medical care for all patients at Springbrook. I was also responsible for the Health Professionals Program, Hazelden Springbrook’s program that provided assessment and treatment for licensed health care professionals (primarily physicians) suffering from chemically dependency. One of my strongest passions involves educating our patients, our profession and our culture, about addiction. Greater understanding of this disease, particularly it's biological basis, goes far in removing the stigma associated with addiction, thus lowering a major barrier to care. I have given presentations regarding substance abuse and treatment, from Hawaii to Scotland and many points between. The audiences have ranged from children to business executives and physicians. My goal is to attempt to make complex neurological processes as understandable as possible and that this understanding be of practical value in everyday life.