Drug Endangered Children and Family Human Trafficking: The Intersection

Join us for a two-part webinar series on February 2 and 9, 2026, focused on how healthcare providers can deliver timely, trauma-informed care to endangered children.

Learning Outcome

SESSION ONE: Learners will increase their knowledge of how to identify drug endangered children (DEC) and understand early intervention strategies to support at-risk children and families affected by substance misuse.

• Children are often the first affected but can be the last recognized as being affected by
  substance misuse, often subjected to adverse childhood events that put them at risk for
  negative long-term challenges.

SESSION TWO: Learners will increase their knowledge of how to recognize indicators of familial sex trafficking linked to substance misuse and understand appropriate early intervention strategies to support affected children and adults.

• Drug endangered children are often the same children who are at risk for Familial Human
  Trafficking (FHT). Identifying these children as early as possible, intervening appropriately, and providing much needed services to the children and their family members is critical in order to break the generational cycle of substance misuse.

Featured Presenter

Liesl Wingert is the Program Coordinator for the Eastern region of the SIU School of Medicine – Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University in Human Development and Family Studies, with a minor in Sociology,
as well as a Master of Health Administration degree (MHA) from the University of Southern Indiana. She is a Certified Drug Endangered Children trainer for the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. In addition, Ms. Wingert sits on the Board of Directors for Take Action Today and the Illinois Association for Problem Solving Courts, as well as serving as Chair for the Illinois Alliance for Drug Endangered Children.

1.5 Nurse Contact Hours Per Session

Successful completion: attend the entire webinar and complete the evaluation.

Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development ty VTL Center for Professional Development, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Program Support

There is no charge to attend.

This program is supported by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) through the Federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) State Partnership Grant and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of an award totaling $55,000, with 0% funding provided by non-governmental sources. The content is solely the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by IDPH, HRSA, HHS, or
the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.