Available Courses
The Provider Support Initiative (PSI) monthly webinars occur on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month 12-1PM (PT). The objective of this webinar series is to elevate evidence based clinical practices to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder and address management of complex patients with co-occurring disorders, co-morbidities, and/or co-occurring substance use. Content will address stimulants (methamphetamine and cocaine) and fentanyl and include an emphasis to improve care for vulnerable priority populations (including but not limited to youth, American Indian/Alaska Native populations, and persons experiencing homelessness. Continuing Medical Education and Continuing Education (CME/CE) offered at NO COST
Provider Support Initiative
Buprenorphine for Withdrawal Treatment in Acute Care Settings
Medications for Addiction Treatment, like buprenorphine, are effective, first-line treatments for OUD, yet stigma, lack of access, federal policies, and other factors make it difficult for people to get care. Starting medications in acute care settings, like urgent care, emergency departments, hospitals, and jails, is one way to increase the impact of treatment where people present for care. In this webinar, Lisa Netherland, MD, will review protocols for rapid access to buprenorphine in acute care settings, including considerations on starting doses, how to decrease the likelihood of precipitated withdrawal, and modifications that may be necessary when fentanyl is involved.
Harm Reduction – Understanding the Basics
This presentation will provide an overview of evidence-based harm reduction practices, including access to sterile syringes, fentanyl test trips, and naloxone; low barrier access to medications for addiction treatment (MAT); and other supports that reduce harm for people who use opioids and other drugs. Special considerations in reducing harm related to fentanyl exposure will also be addressed. Cases will illustrate harm reduction in practice.
Stimulants 2021: Epidemiology, Effects and Treatments
US overdose deaths associated with stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine) are now only exceeded by deaths associated with fentanyl. Because most cocaine and methamphetamine now being used in the US now contains fentanyl and because the methamphetamine currently being produced is more lethal than in past years, these drugs are extremely damaging to the body and brain. Individuals who use stimulants are challenging to engage and retain in treatment and they present unique clinical issues in treatment. There are no FDA-approved medications for treatment of stimulant use disorder, although several are promising. Behavioral treatment, especially using contingency management (and other approaches with supportive evidence), has by far the best evidence of effectiveness. The presentation will review these topic areas of importance to clinicians treating individuals with stimulant use disorder.
42CFR and Protected Health Information (PHI)
Staff from the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) will discuss how to share PHI in compliance with federal privacy laws while also safeguarding patient privacy. The CoE-PHI will introduce the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) and 42 CFR Part 2, the law that governs sharing client SUD treatment information. They will present the foundational framework of the federal privacy laws and illustrate how the laws apply within general medical settings.
Integrated MAT for Patients Experiencing Homelessness
In this session, Jeffrey Norris, MD, will address the causes of homelessness and interventions to address it; explain best practices for providing MAT to people who are experiencing homelessness (PEH), including specific strategies that can enhance treatment in settings where treating PEH is not the primary mission of an organization.
Treating Hepatitis C and Opioid Use Disorder
People who use drugs have a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other infectious diseases along with significant morbidity associated with drug use, especially when injection drug use is involved. This webinar will address the connections between infectious diseases, opioid use disorder (OUD), and other drug use-related harms, as well as effective treatments for HCV and OUD.
Treatment of Justice Involved Clients with Substance Use Disorders
In this hour-long webinar, Igor Koutsenok, MD, will provide an overview of treatment interventions for justice involved clients with substance use disorders. This presentation will cover recent data on opioid use in criminal justice populations as well as risk factors for criminality and factors to consider when providing treatment.
Indigenous Health and the Opioid Epidemic
In this one-hour session, Kawika Liu, MD, PhD, JD, FAAP, FASAM, will provide an overview of the opioid epidemic and indigenous health. The presentation will include discussion of the impact of trauma, genetic risk and resilience, molecular epidemiology, and substance use on the overall health of indigenous people.
Addressing Stimulant Use in Primary Care Settings
Use of methamphetamine and cocaine by patients taking medications for addiction treatment (MAT) continues to rise and has become a common challenge for providers in primary care settings. Richard Rawson, PhD will discuss current epidemiology of stimulant use in patients with and without opioid use disorder, common clinical challenges, and current evidence-based treatment practices. Veronica Velasquez-Morfin will discuss clinical approaches in a variety of health care settings, including primary care, emergency departments, and MAT programs.
Treating Patients with Pain and Opioid Use Disorder
For over a decade, treating patients with pain routinely involved the extensive use of opioids. However, the opioid crisis in the US has led to new practices and regulations related to prescribing opioids. As a result, many providers are facing challenges treating patients who may need opioids for pain relief and also have or are at high risk for developing an opioid use disorder (OUD). This one-hour training will focus on the current understanding of the nexus of pain and OUD, with a focus on best practices to address the needs of patients with pain and OUD in primary care settings.
Substance Use Navigators: Changing Roles in the Pandemic
This one hour webinar is a collaborative effort by three leading initiatives in California working to increase access to MAT for patients with opioid use disorder. As COVID-19 continues to spread, access to treatment for other conditions continues to change. For people with opioid use disorder who seek or need to continue medications for addiction treatment (MAT), access to care at the Emergency Department (ED) is also changing. This webinar will provide an overview of ways access to care, including care in the ED, interactions with substance use navigators (SUNs), and referrals to treatment, including to Narcotic Treatment Programs (NTPs) that provide all forms of MAT, are being adapted to help patients get the services they need in a changing health care environment.
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
The purpose of this online training is to provide participants with a detailed overview of medications that have been shown to be effective as a component of the treatment of opioid use disorder. Topics will include: the context for medication-assisted treatment (positive and negative perceptions), the epidemiology of opioid use and dependence (user demographics), a review of the various classes of opioids, an overview of each medication, its indication, to whom it is administered, and how it works, and treatment settings for medication-assisted treatment. Medications will include: naltrexone, methadone, and buprenorphine.
Treating Pregnant Women with OUD
This one-hour webinar is designed to help health care providers caring for pregnant and postpartum women understand evidence-based practices to treat this vulnerable population. Angella Barr, MD, will cover the science and best practices in treating pregnant women with OUD and their infants, as well as a case review and discussion.
Shared Medical Appointments for MAT Treatment
In this one-hour web training, Cheryl J. Ho, MD provides an overview of how to incorporate shared medical appointments into treating patients with opioid use disorder. She covers the main challenges, benefits, common structure, and staffing considerations for shared medical appointments.
Understanding Buprenorphine Formulations and Clinical Guidelines for Use
Originally presented by the Pacific Southwest ATTC & The California Hub and Spoke System
Starting Treatment: Buprenorphine Induction 101
In this one-hour web training, Candy Stockton-Joreteg, MD, will provide an overview of best practices on how to start buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in a variety of settings, including hospitals, emergency department, and office-based settings. Safe home induction protocols and other recommendations will also be covered.
In this half-hour webinar, Health Management Associate’s Cory Waller, MD, MS, FACEP, DFASAMgives a brief overview of substance (particularly opioid) use disorders, including basic neurochemistry. The goal of this training is to increase the knowledge base of health care providers treating patients with opioid use disorders.
Demystifying DEA’s Role in MAT Regulation & Implementing a Zero Risk Program
In this one-hour web training Dennis Wichern, MSc, DEA Special Agent (Ret.), will provide an overview of the authority of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as it relates to regulating the use of medications in the provision of treatment for opioid use disorders (OUD). There will also be a review of national studies, risk mitigation strategies, case studies, emerging issues, commonly asked questions, and strategies for preventing a DEA audit. The goal of the training session is to alleviate provider concerns relative to operating a MAT medical practice.
In this one-hour webinar, Aimee Moulin, MD, frames opioid use disorder (OUD) as a medical emergency and highlights the role emergency departments and other health care providers can play in helping patients start treatment for OUD. Dr. Aimee Moulin is an Emergency Physician and Assistant Residency Director at UC Davis, recent past president of Cal ACEP, and Co-Director of Emergency Department Services for the California Bridge Program. Strategies for connecting emergency services with ongoing community based-care will be discussed.Why is this webinar important? While recent CDC data indicate the nationwide overdose death rate has started to decrease, California’s overdose death rate continues to climb. Opioid use itself can be lethal, especially with the increased mix of fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs. Life-saving treatments for OUD are highly underutilized throughout the treatment system. Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants have a crucial role to play in saving lives through participation in a more integrated network of care.
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance use disorders and those at risk of developing these disorders. Overall, substance use contributes to over 70 conditions that require medical care. Screening can be easily used in primary care settings and enables healthcare professionals to systematically identify and assist people whose drinking or substance use may cause or complicate medical and mental health functioning. This 4-hour training is relevant for both primary care and behavioral health providers. Our training provides a brief overview of the prevalence of substance use, criteria for risky use, and the effects of substance use on health and mental health functioning. We review the two approved screening tools (AUDIT and AUDIT-C), and teach providers how to conduct a three-step Brief Intervention utilizing motivational interviewing techniques focused on motivating people toward positive behavioral change. For individuals identified to be at high risk for an alcohol use disorder, we teach providers how to motivate patients to accept a referral to specialty substance abuse treatment services.
Substance Use Disorders and Trauma
The purpose of this training is to introduce participants to the presentation of trauma among clients and the relation between traumatic experience and the development of substance use disorders. Key topics will include an overview of trauma presentations across the lifespan; socioecological conceptualizations of early childhood trauma leading to later life judicial and medical impairments; and skills and strategies to intervene with clients who have co-occurring trauma and substance use disorders.
Addressing Prescription Drug Misuse
Prescription drug misuse and abuse have become a national concern as evidenced by the increase in treatment admissions, emergency department admissions and overdose deaths directly related to prescription drug use. This webinar will review the current literature on the scope of prescription drug misuse and abuse and will provide an overview of the SAMHSA strategies for screening, and early intervention.
Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders 101
The training will introduce participants to the epidemiology, prevalence, and science of co-occurring disorders. Participants will also learn how to conceptualize co-occurring mental health, substance use, and physical health disorders and how their interaction affects screening, assessment, and treatment.
Supplemental ASAM Training for Adolescent Populations
The ASAM criteria are designed to determine the appropriate treatment of clients based upon their level care for both initial placement and ongoing services. This is an introductory online training is designed to supplement face-to-face trainings on how to use the ASAM Criteria and DSM-5 diagnoses. The goal of this training is to give providers a developmental framework to understand how substance use disorders (SUDs) present in adolescents. The training will review how SUDs manifest differently in adolescents compared with adults, especially in terms of substance use history, co-occurring complexities, and motivation. The training will also give provide specific considerations for conducting more effective assessments for adolescent populations.
The Culture of Integrated Services (Health 101)
This 60-minute course will review the benefits of service integration for consumers with comorbidities and highlight the challenges to integration of care. Challenges of integrating services are rooted in organizational and cultural differences across disciplines and professions. We will discuss roles of mental health staff in Integrated settings, and highlight ways that various members of the treatment team can support the overall health of consumers. Additionally, we will review key medical issues that frequently co-occur with mental health and substance use disorders, and discuss how behavioral health providers can better identify co morbid health and mental health disorders. At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to: (1) explain the need to provide integrated whole health care including at least three medical consequences of behavioral health disorders; (2) describe at least three medical conditions that frequently co-occur with mental health and substance use disorders; and (3) provide examples of at least three behavioral health interventions that can support consumer’s physical health.