Reminder: Virtual Meet and Greet with the Opioid Response Network Sexuality and Gender Diversity Workgroup

ORN's Sexuality and Gender Diversity Workgroup (formally called the LGBTQ+ Workgroup) virtual meet and greet will be held on October 22, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST.This Friday! Members will be sharing how the workgroup supports ORN’s mission to help you help others reach LGBTQ+ communities facing opioid and stimulant use struggles and how to access ORN as a free resource. Learn more and register for the meet and greet. 

One Way to Overcome Substance Use Disorder as a Barrier to Financial Aid for Working Families

Awareness

Dear Opioid Response Network Community: The Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan provides the largest Child Tax Credit ever and historic relief to the most working families ever. This program is reaching most American families with automatic monthly payments without them having to take any action and it is a key strategy to lift many out of poverty. Reaching even more families continues to be a national priority and awareness is critical, especially in reaching families who have not filed taxes recently and therefore need to sign up themselves to receive payments. Today, we ask for this community’s support in sharing this message with your members, within your practices and at all junctures where our work directly reaches individuals and families impacted by substance use disorders. Let's reach and help more families. 

Research shows us that poverty can lead to substance use disorders, including opioid and stimulant use issues. Research also shows that drug-related death rates have been seen to be significantly higher in poorer areas and in areas with high levels of family distress. To this end, programs like the Child Tax Credit offer an important strategy to address a key social determinate of health for individuals who are at risk for opioid or stimulant use and their families. Assisting families in obtaining resources such as early childhood education, welfare benefits and adult education has been a frequent call to action during many Opioid Response Network training events. But addressing barriers for non-filers (individuals who have not filed taxes recently) in particular presents clear challenges. We ask that you share these outreach materials as broadly as possible. Together – we can make a difference!

Upcoming Trainings and New ORN Educational Resources

Harm Reduction Through a Prevention Lens

Learning Collaborative in Session: Integrated Treatment for Individuals with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders and Serious Mental Illness

The American Psychiatry Association, an ORN partner organization, is hosting an ORN-funded online learning collaborative called Integrated Treatment for Individuals with Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders and Serious Mental Illness, which is being led by Ken Minkoff, MD, Senior System Consultant, ZiaPartners, Inc., Part-time Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Open now through November 21, 2021, this collaborative serves as a virtual community for participants working in settings serving people with serious mental illness (SMI) to understand how to implement the routine delivery of integrated mental health/substance use disorder services to individuals with SMI, co-occurring substance use conditions (with a particular focus on co-occurring opioid use disorder), and other complex needs, within their own practice, their own program, and their own agency.

Harm Reduction Through a Prevention Lens

New resource within the ORN's repository: Harm Reduction Through a Prevention Lens. This one-page information sheet, developed by the Prevention Technology Transfer Center, provides a brief overview of harm reduction and its connection with prevention. It also includes basic harm reduction strategies for commonly used substances and viral infections that are a heightened risk for people who use substances. Submit a request today for access at OpioidResponseNetwork.org. Your local Technology Transfer Specialist can not only provide access, but, as your local champion, provide you with a range of related education and training support. 

Substance Use Disorders in the LGBTQ Population

New presentation within the ORN's repository: Substance Use Disorders in the LGBTQ Population. This presentation tool examines understanding of why sexual minorities are at increased risk for substance use disorders; epidemiology of substance use disorders with a focus on methamphetamine use; recommendations for substance use disorder treatment in the LGBTQ population; and more. If you would like a similar, but tailored training, for your community, staff, etc., submit a request today at OpioidResponseNetwork.org and your local Technology Transfer Specialist will be in touch within one business day.

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