2008 Idaho Conference on Health Care
Jay M. Wurscher
Jay Wurscher is currently the Child Welfare Alcohol and Drug Services Coordinator for Oregon’s Department of Human Services. He works in the Children, Adults and Families Division, Office Safety and Permanency for Children in Salem, Oregon. Jay is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and has been in the field of addiction treatment and prevention since 1982. His experience includes the jobs of addiction counselor, clinical supervisor, program manager for a community based prevention program, and trainer. He has trained at numerous national conferences regarding substance abuse issues in child welfare and community collaborations, often with emphasis on methamphetamine. He’s taught summer courses at the University of Oregon’s Substance Abuse Prevention Program since 1992. He is a member of the Governor’s Methamphetamine Task Force and the Oregon Alliance for Drug Endangered Children. He spent six years as the addictions counselor in an Oregon child welfare branch working with substance abusing families involved in the child welfare system. He is married and has two children. Jay is a flatlander, growing up in North Dakota and moving to Oregon in 1983 from Minnesota, after serving time in the US Navy submarine service. Since then he’s gained a bunch of weight, wears glasses, and is losing his hair. Happily, he’s not on any medication, eats whatever he wants as he really likes food, and refuses to contribute to the 60 billion dollar a year diet industry. He can be reached by phone, 503-945-6634 or e-mail, jwursch@comcast.net