Link to details.

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

ORN acknowledges February as Black History Month. This, and every month, we recognize the contributions and sacrifices of Black people in the American story.

Preventing and treating substance use disorders in Black Communities is critical as rates of overdose deaths in these communities are outpacing other populations. Read more about ORN's Black Communities Workgroup's efforts here.

Medical School Addiction Medicine Curriculum: Designed for Medical Students by Medical Students

New medical school curriculum developed by winners of the Coalition for Physician Education in Substance Use Disorders (COPE) Medical Student Curriculum Challenge is now available to download at no cost.

The ORN-funded challenge had medical students use their knowledge and creativity to design learning resources related to the development of the skills and attitudes critical to providing care to persons with substance use disorders. From 36 submissions, there were 8 winners and 4 honorable mentions. Twelve curriculum designs are now available and free of charge on COPE’s website for use by medical schools across the country. See the list and instructions on how to download here.

For additional evidence-based resources on the prevention, treatment and recovery of opioid use, stimulant use and all substance use disorders, submit a request at OpioidResponseNetwork.org.

If an opportunity listed below sparks your interest but you are not sure how to begin or would like more information, email orn@aaap.org. We are here to help you!
All ORN trainings are provided at no cost. 
To coordinate a training designed specifically to meet your needs, submit a request today at OpioidResponseNetwork.org. 

Social Work Chat Live: Spiro Spero - February 28, 2022

This ORN-funded activity coordinated by the Boston Medical Center is a viewing of a play titled "Spiro Spero." Participants will watch the streamed play from 11:30am - 12:30pm ET on YouTube and then attend a talk-back following. Spiro Spero is a one woman play written and performed by a psychiatric nurse practitioner who specializes in addiction. It explores the lives of five people impacted by substance use disorder and their experiences in treatment, in the community, and in the healthcare setting. A talk back will occur immediately following the stream. Learn more. 

Virtual Training: Stimulants 101 - March 10, 2022

This ORN-funded training from the Boston Medical Center is designed to provide an overview of stimulant use disorders for all healthcare staff including providers, nurses, counselors and other non-clinical staff. The training reviews stigma, identifying stimulant overdose, managing acute stimulant intoxication, de-escalation techniques, and evidence-based treatment for people who use stimulants. Learn more. 

Virtual Training: Recovery Ambassador Training - March 22-24, 2022

This ORN-funded, Faces & Voices of Recovery, Recovery Ambassador Program is a free training that prepares individuals to advance public understanding and appropriate responses to addiction. The training program consists of Our Stories Have Power, Recovery Messaging, the Science of Addiction & Recovery and the Recovery Ambassador curriculum. Course material includes instruction in language and stigma, recruiting volunteers, building messages, organizing community action, engaging policymakers, raising money and effective advocacy. Learn more.

Reminder: On Demand Webinars Presented by Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses 

New ORN-funded webinars from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association have been posted and are available to all at no cost. These include:

·     What’s in Grandma’s Medicine Cabinet? – Understanding Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults Explore how age-related physiological and social changes present unique challenges for the identification and treatment of this disorder.

·     Substance-Exposed Pregnancies: What to Know As They Grow Discover how substance use during pregnancy impacts maternal/fetal development and increases the neurological vulnerabilities of the neonate.

A Primer on Stimulant Use Disorder: A Growing Concern 

Examine neuroscience changes as a result of a substance use disorder, along with the signs and symptoms that often present with the diagnosis as well as potential treatment options.

Share our mission in your community!

Opioids, stimulants and other substances have created an unprecedented health crisis so the Opioid Response Network created an unprecedented response. As communities mobilize to address local need, we are here to enhance their efforts. Help us spread the word! Post the video below to your network's social channels. Encourage your network to tell us what they need via the simple request form at OpioidResponseNetwork.org.

orn@aaap.org  - 401-270-5900  -  OpioidResponseNetwork.org

The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, established under Section 7221 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, was charged with examining aspects of the synthetic opioid threat to the United States—specifically, with developing a consensus on a strategic approach to combating the illegal flow of synthetic opioids into the United States. This final report describes items involving the illegal manufacturing and trafficking of synthetic opioids, as well as the deficiencies in countering their production and distribution, and includes action items directed to appropriate executive branch agencies and congressional committees and leadership.

Read the report.

The CDC draft Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids (update to the 2016 Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain) has posted in the Federal Register and the 60-day public comment period begins today. Public comment provides valuable insight from the populations that we serve. Please note that the 60-day public comment period will end on April 11, 2022.  CDC is committed to supporting safe and effective pain care options for patients. CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is in the process of updating the 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. Both healthcare professionals and members of the public who experience acute or chronic pain have expressed interest in understanding the recommendations outlined in the draft updated Guideline, and CDC highly values public and partner engagement and feedback in this process. <Visit the Federal Register to provide your comments on the draft Guideline update>  Please see our webpage detailing the process of updating the Guideline. Encourage people you know who have direct experience with the role of opioids in pain care and the importance of the patient-clinician relationship to visit the Federal Register, review the draft update to the Guideline, and add their perspectives to the Federal Register Notice.

Submitting a Comment See below for instructions to submit a comment during the public comment period. More detailed instructions can also be found on the Federal Register Notice (FRN) webpage and in the FRN for this document.   To locate the FRN and view the draft of the updated Guideline, you can either:    Click on the direct link to the FRN in this email or Go to Federal Register.gov and search for "CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids" or Document Number 2022-02802 To inspect the draft Clinical Practice Guideline and supporting documents, please go to this link and click "View More Documents:” https://www.regulations.gov/document/CDC-2022-0024-0002 To submit a comment to CDC, please view the methods outlined in the FRN under the "Addresses" heading and select which option you prefer: Electronic comments via the website Regulations.gov

Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for "CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids" A comment button on the top left of the page will allow you to submit your comments via a webpage with step-by-step instructions

Mail

Directions for how to submit a comment through the mail are provided in the "Addresses" section of the FRN on FederalRegister.gov

To ask a question, click on the “For Further Information Contact” heading in the FRN for the agency official contact information.  General information about the process to provide a public comment can be found at the following links:   Federal Register: Reader Aids: Using FederalRegister.Gov Federal Register: Reader Aids: Videos & Tutorials

New RI Program will Divert Individuals with Substance Use Disorders from Incarceration and into Treatment

Training, education and implementation efforts provided by the Opioid Response Network (ORN) has helped to establish a new program in Woonsocket, RI. This program, championed by RI Superior Court Judge Kristin Rodgers, will divert individuals with an opioid or other substance use disorders who have been arrested away from jail and into treatment and recovery support services. An estimated 70 to 100 people arrested every year could qualify to participate in this program, which was recently awarded the funding needed to get it off the ground.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline have announced a three-year $819,109 U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance grant for the Woonsocket Police Department (WPD). Working with the non-profit Community Care Alliance, this will fund the Law Enforcement Assisted Deflection, Engagement, and Retention (LEADER) in Treatment program. ORN, a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded initiative, will continue providing WPD with education and training support as needed. Read more.

If an opportunity listed below sparks interest but you have questions or are not quite sure how it could fit into your own plans, email orn@aaap.org. We can help! All ORN trainings are provided at no cost. To coordinate a tailored training with an ORN consultant to meet your specific needs, submit a request at OpioidResponseNetwork.org. 

New Course: Improving Clinical Practice with Patients who have Stimulant Use Disorder 
Performance in Practice and Self-Assessment Activity

This new course is designed to improve the competence, performance, and patient outcomes of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals. Learners will determine individual practice gaps and address them through a performance improvement plan. Learners will assess and evaluate performance techniques used in their practices. This ORN course was developed by ORN lead organization the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. Read more.

Live Training: Certified Addiction Registered Nurse Exam Review for RNs/NPs - PART ONE: February 7, 2022

This ORN-funded training from the Boston Medical Center is an exam review course for RNs and NPs working in the addiction field who have an interest in becoming a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (CARN) or a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse - Advanced Practice (CARN-AP). This course is intended to support nurses studying for the CARN and CARN-AP exam by reviewing material the exam will cover. Read more.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-part training. You must attend both parts to receive continuing education credits. See here for information on PART TWO.

Live Training: Treating Stimulant Use Disorder
February 9, 2022

This ORN-funded training from the Boston Medical Center is designed to be a guide for addiction providers interested in providing and caring for people who use stimulants including cocaine and methamphetamines. The training will review the basic science of addiction related to stimulants as well as evidence-based treatment for people who use stimulants. The session will also talk about the practical implementation of evidence-based treatment for patients who use stimulants in the office-based addiction treatment setting. Read more.

Live Training: Recovery Community Organization Bootcamp
February 22 - 24, 2022

This ORN-funded, Faces & Voices of Recovery activity is a 13-hour free training for new and emerging Recovery Community Organization (RCO) directors, program managers and board members. The training covers all the basics to help build the capacity of small non-profit organizations. Breakout sessions focus on RCO start-up, governance, sustainability, policies and procedures, strategic planning, staff development and more. Read more.

On Demand Trainings: New Webinars Presented by Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses 

New ORN-funded webinars from the American Psychiatric Nurses Association have been posted and are available to all at no cost. These include:

·     What’s in Grandma’s Medicine Cabinet? – Understanding Substance Use Disorders in Older AdultsExplore how age-related physiological and social changes present unique challenges for the identification and treatment of this disorder.

·     Substance-Exposed Pregnancies: What to Know As They Grow Discover how substance use during pregnancy impacts maternal/fetal development and increases the neurological vulnerabilities of the neonate.  

·     A Primer on Stimulant Use Disorder: A Growing Concern Examine neuroscience changes as a result of a substance use disorder, along with the signs and symptoms that often present with the diagnosis as well as potential treatment options.

Read more.

Tailored Trainings: Providing Peer Based Recovery Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Families

This ORN-funded training opportunity developed by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center prepares participants to meet the diverse needs of pregnant and parenting families in early recovery. Recovery and parenting both occur in the context of relationships. Trainings are designed to help participants build skills to support/ strengthen families as they grow and develop in their roles as nurturing parents. Submit a request for this training topic at OpioidResponseNetwork.org. Your local ORN Technology Transfer Specialist will connect with you to learn more about your specific needs and help facilitate a tailored, localized training on this topic. 

orn@aaap.org 401-270-5900
OpioidResponseNetwork.org

America is confronted with surging overdose deaths in historically and continually marginalized communities. How will we respond?

December 21, 2021, East Providence, RI --Recent data analysisi bears truth to previously anecdotal reports of surging overdose deaths. This research is also exposing how ongoing structural racism is resulting in disproportionately high rates of overdose deaths within historically and continually marginalized communities. The Covid-19 pandemic is exacerbating this reality.

The research (Friedman & Hansen, 2021): Black overdose mortality overtook that of White overdose mortality in 2020 for the first time since 1999. Rates were 16.3% higher for Black individuals than White individuals in the same period. American Indian and Alaska Native individuals experienced the highest rate of overdose mortality in 2020. Rates for this populations were 30.8% higher than the rate for White individuals. Why? Health disparities resulting from structural racism spur increased drug overdose mortality within Black and Native communities.ii

STATEMENTS FROM OPIOID RESPONSE NETWORK WORKGROUP CHAIRS

Addressing opioid and stimulant use disorders within Black and Native Communities can't be achieved with a one size fits all approach. To this end, the Opioid Response Network, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), relies on its expansive, diverse array of consultants and workgroups.

"There has always been a severe gap in efforts to reach Black communities to address substance use disorders. This is alarming in the face of evidence that rates of overdose deaths in these communities outpace other populations. However, just reaching Black communities is not sufficient in-and-of-itself. Engagement must be tailored to meet individual and community identified needs. Working together we can identify and address health disparities and change the direction of these frustrating statistics."

Opioid Response Network Black Communities Workgroup Co-Chairs: Tracie Gardner, Senior Vice President of Policy Advocacy, Legal Action Center, and Myra Mathis, MD Senior Instructor of Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester

"For over 500 years, Native communities have been faced with relocation, forced assimilation, and attempts at genocide resulting in generations of historical trauma. This set the stage for the current opioid and stimulant epidemics and the increasing rate of mortality from overdose in Native communities that new research has exposed. Recognizing that conventional efforts to address this have been compromised from issues including disparities in healthcare access, it is clear new strategies are needed that center solutions within Native communities and provide consultation and resources to support these efforts. Through culturally informed education and training delivered in partnership with diverse Native communities, we can make a difference."

Opioid Response Network Indigenous Communities Workgroup Co-Chairs: Holly Echo-Hawk, MSc (Pawnee), and Aimee Campbell, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatric Social Work, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

"LGBTQ+ people face intersecting racism, discrimination, and stigma that can lead to elevated rates of substance use and mortality from overdose. LGBTQ+ people also often face health disparities as a result of structural racism, which is a key factor in increasing mortality rates in Black and Native communities. Culturally informed education and training, which the Sexuality and Gender Diversity Workgroup supports, is key to addressing increasing overdose mortality rates and for all people with substance use disorders."

Opioid Response Network Sexuality and Gender Diversity Workgroup Co-Chairs: Jeremy Kidd, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center & New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Margaret Paschen-Wolff, DrPH, MSW Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatric Social Work, Columbia University Irving Medical Center & New York State Psychiatric Institute

To supplement efforts taking place across the country and U.S. territories to address opioid and stimulant use disorders and the overdose crisis, the Opioid Response Network's coalition of national organizations and individuals is providing no cost education and training. To ensure cultural responsivity and acknowledging and actively working to dismantle the structures which uphold health disparities, Opioid Response Network's workgroups advise on all activities facing historically and continually marginalized communities. Visit OpioidResponseNetwork.org for more information and to submit a request for training and education to enhance your efforts and meet your needs. Email orn@aaap.org with questions.

About the Opioid Response Network

The Opioid Response Network (ORN) was established through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funding awarded to the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry working collaboratively with the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, Columbia University Division on Substance Use Disorders and 40 national organizations. ORN provides education and training in the prevention, treatment and recovery of opioid and stimulant use disorders at the local level and at no cost.

For more information, contact:
Nicholas Canning
Sr. Project Manager
Opioid Response Network
nic@aaap.org | 401-270-1173

Treating HIV and Substance Use Disorders in Gay Black Men

Opioid Response Network (ORN) trainings that help others address racism and homophobia for better outcomes

Benjamin Nguyễn, MSW, ASW, CPH, is ORN’s representative for the American Southwest. If you’re in New Mexico, Arizona or Nevada and seek out ORN for education and training, it’s Ben on the other end of the line. Recently, Ben received a request for training from the Nevada Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center. “They were preparing for their annual conference for HIV care providers and were looking for a speaker on best practices for substance use disorder treatment and recovery with a focus on the LGBTQ+ community and racial disparities. It was a perfect fit for ORN,” said Ben.

For the job Ben worked closely with ORN Advanced Implementation Scientist Larry Bryant, PhD, MPH, BSW, RRT. Dr. Bryant crafted a training to share immediate actions and long-term strategies to apply to their work. This included affirmative language to use when communicating with patients; education on how to structure specific situations so that LGBTQ+ patients feel comfortable in sharing private information; and how best to engage this population in treatment. “It was also largely a discussion on common life experiences that often influence the behaviors of gay Black men. Providers need to understand where these patients are and then meet them there in order to effectively address their treatment and recovery needs,” shared Dr. Bryant. Read more.

Training and education from ORN is designed to be culturally intelligent. To help improve practice standards, ORN established several workgroups including the Sexuality and Gender Diversity Workgroup and Black Communities Workgroup. Would you like to learn about how these multi-disciplinary teams can help your efforts? Email orn@aaap.org with a specific question.

UPCOMING TRAININGS AND ORN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

If an opportunity listed below sparks interest, but you have questions or are not quite sure how it could fit into your own plans, email orn@aaap.org. We can help! Stay tuned to ORN's evolving events page for upcoming opportunities. All ORN trainings are free.

TAILORD ON DEMAND TRAININGS: Making Sense of the Federal Health Privacy Laws

Free training opportunities for individuals and networks that provide or administer substance use disorder services

Multiple federal laws, including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, protect the confidentiality of substance use disorder treatment information. These laws permit sharing patient records in certain circumstances — however, it can be hard to understand when they apply, what information should be kept private, what can be shared, with whom, and when. With funding from ORN, ORN partner organization CAI will be conducting a limited number of free virtual trainings regarding health privacy laws. These tailored trainings will address common questions about health privacy laws and their application in practice. See here for more information and information on how to request a training. 

TAILORD ON DEMAND TRAININGS: ToxIC Novel Opioid and Stimulant Exposures

Free training opportunities with medical toxicologists for individuals and organizations

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) is a professional, nonprofit association of approximately 800 physicians with recognized expertise in medical toxicology. Medical toxicologists are specially trained physicians who diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent human poisonings, such as overdoses from prescribed or illicit drugs, including opioids and novel psychoactive substances. As an ORN partner organization, ACMT is providing tailored trainings about novel opioid cases through the use of the Toxicology Investigators Consortium (ToxIC) Core Registry, a multi-center surveillance network that includes cases submitted by medical toxicologists after formal consultation of patients who presented in the acute care setting with an overdose or toxic exposure. Do you have questions? For more information or to coordinate your own tailored training, email Dr. Kim Aldy at Kim.Aldy@acmt.net.

Upcoming Training and Training of Trainers:
Peer Support for Pregnant and Parenting Families

Training scheduled for January 4 and 5, 2022
Training of Trainers scheduled for January 25 and 26, 2022

This ORN-funded training developed by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center will prepare Peer Recovery Support Specialists to meet the diverse needs of pregnant and parenting families in early recovery. Recovery and parenting both occur in the context of relationships. This training is designed to help participants build skills to support/ strengthen families as they grow and develop in their roles as nurturing parents. The Training of Trainers will prepare the participants to teach the Providing Peer Based Recovery Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Families curriculum. More information can be found here.

Faces & Voices of Recovery Learning Community
Begins January 5, 2021 (note multiple events)

This free Virtual Learning Community (VLC) is funded by ORN and developed and coordinated by Faces & Voices of Recovery. The VLC features a series of six 1-hour sessions with subject matter experts on a bi-weekly basis. Series for Cohort One begins Jan. 5, 2022. The format for each session includes a brief presentation on the topic and then a discussion and Q&A session with the presenter. Register once for the entire series; attendance at all 6 sessions is highly encouraged.

See here for more information and to register.

Training: Stimulants 101
January 12, 2021

The ORN-funded training from the Boston Medical Center is designed to provide an overview of stimulant use disorder for all healthcare organization staff including providers, nurses, counselors and other non-clinical staff. The training reviews stigma, identifying stimulant overdose, managing acute stimulant intoxication, de-escalation techniques, and evidence-based treatment for people who use stimulants. See here for more information and to register. 

Training: Initiation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
January 14, 2021

The final session in National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development's Bridging HIV, HCV, & SUD: Innovations in the Field 7-part webinar series, Initiation of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, will be on Friday, January 14th, at 12 pm ET. In order to effectively end the HIV epidemic in the United States, providers who care for people with or at-risk for HIV need to be equipped to effectively identify and treat opioid use disorder. This ORN funded presentation will provide practical guidance on the use of medications for opioid use disorder. See here for more information and to register. 

 orn@aaap.org 401-270-5900
OpioidResponseNetwork.org

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

The US Food and Drug Administration’s Controlled Substances Program is holding a virtual information session on research funding to improve scientific understanding of psychedelics. 

During the session, we will provide information about FDA’s recent activities regarding psychedelics, and we will share how the upcoming research funding opportunity fits into our work. We will also give a brief overview of the Controlled Substances Program, which aims to promote the public health by minimizing risks associated with problematic use of controlled substances while enabling appropriate access for medical use.

The session will take place on Friday, December 17^th at 11.05 AM EST. RSVPs will be accepted to CDERCSP@fda.hhs.gov on a first-come, first-served basis no later than 12/15/21. If you are unable to attend but would like to learn more, please email CDERCSP@fda.hhs.gov to receive a recap email after the information session. 

Demonstrating the Value of Recovery Housing: Expert Panel Findings

In January 2021, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with funding from ORN, hosted a technical expert panel to explore ways to best demonstrate the value of recovery housing in the United States. Recovery housing refers to safe, healthy, alcohol and drug-free living environments that support individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. The panel reviewed the current recovery housing landscape and identified areas for improvement. They discussed:

• What's missing from the current recovery housing framework?
• What strategies can be implemented to bridge the cultural divide between the social model (recovery housing) and the medical model (treatment)?
• What are the current opportunities and limitations in the funding of recovery housing? What is an ideal funding model for recovery housing?
• What policies and systems should be implemented to create a more cohesive recovery housing ecosystem?

At the conclusion of the panel, recommendations were identified and next steps proposed to strengthen the system in an effort to build the recovery housing network and demonstrate the value of the service. The report developed as a result identifies key strategies and recommendations. Request access for it (asking for the Demonstrating the Value of Recovery Housing: Expert Panel Findings Report) by submitting a request at OpioidResponseNetwork.org. It just takes a minute and your local ORN Technology Transfer Specialist can share it (at no cost to you) and provide you with additional educational resources and training to meet your needs and enhance your work as it relates to services for people in recovery from opioid and stimulant use disorders.

Training: Advancing Racial Equity in the Substance Use Field

ORN is committed to supporting the integration of racial equity across substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction, and offers workshops, education, training and consultation for all your diversity and racial equity capacity building efforts. ORN funded racial equity trainings focused on the substance use field include:

1. Developing a Shared Language For Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (90 minutes)
2. Systemic Racism and Substance Use Disorder: Anti-Racist Strategies (2 hours)

These two trainings are available live (in person or online) and/or offered as a (pre-recorded) self-pace workshop you can do individually, as a team, or across your organization. Learn more.

Training: Waiver Trained: Now What? The Nuts and Bolts of Addiction Treatment

This ORN funded training from Boston Medical Center, an ORN partner organization, will provide waivered prescribers with the skills needed to implement office-based addiction treatment into an ambulatory practice setting. Additionally, this talk will provide expert, concrete tips to facilitate the provision of care for patients with substance use disorders utilizing medications in their treatment. Intended audience: Prescribers who have recently obtained their X-Waiver (or who are contemplating getting their waiver) and are looking to increase provision of care for patients with substance use disorder in an outpatient setting. Register here.

Training: Bluegrass Care Clinic: Coordinated Team-Based Approach to Opioid Treatment with HIV Primary Care 
Friday, November 12, 2021 at 12 PM EST

The 5th session in the National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development's Bridging HIV, HCV, & SUD: Innovations in the Field 7-part webinar series will be held on Friday, November 12, 2021 at 12 PM EST. Bluegrass Care Clinic: Coordinated Team-Based Approach to Opioid Treatment with HIV Primary Care will share the steps the team took to identify gaps in care related to the opioid epidemic and discuss successful approaches. Register here. Funded by ORN.

Toolkit: Working with People with Intellectual and Development Disabilities who Struggle with Substance Use Disorders

Upcoming: The Working with People with Intellectual and Development Disabilities who Struggle with Substance Use Disorders toolkit is the result of a roundtable discussion that brought together professionals from the substance use disorder services and intellectual/developmental disabilities services fields in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. During the roundtable professionals shared ideas and identified gaps in communication and services for people living with both a substance use disorder and an intellectual and developmental disability. This toolkit provides resources and tools to serve individuals living at this intersection in your community. It was developed with ORN funding and in partnership with the Mid-America Addiction Technology Transfer Center and the Institute for Human Development. The toolkit will be available soon. Request access by submitting a request at OpioidResponseNetwork.org using the toolkit's name. 

Read more

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.

orn@aaap.org 401-270-5900
OpioidResponseNetwork.org