MAT in Detention Settings Strategic Planning Session Held September 3rd
On Thursday, September 3rd, the East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition (EBSPC) led the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Detention Settings Strategic Planning Session. The purpose of the event was to facilitate cross-agency and cross-county learning about the treatment experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals who are experiencing opioid use disorder (OUD) and who have been receiving MAT. During this session, the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA), EBSPC, Contra Costa County MEDS Coalition, and National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse (NCAPDA) identified gaps where patients fell out of treatment to determine feasible steps to address common problems. The session was also used to cultivate a collaborative environment for sharing resources and information among organizations throughout the Bay Area.
Presenters included Ms. Phoebe Oliviera, RN, PHN, BSN, BSHEd, Choosing Change Public Nurse Program Manager, who discussed the Choosing Change Program in Contra Costa County, which is a clinic that is designed to support people with opioid-use disorder (OUD)--through the development of treatment plans, medication, counseling, and connections to recovery services. The second presenter was Mr. Nick Baltazar, member of the National Coalition Against Drug Abuse and the CCC MEDS Coalition, who shared his experience during incarceration and his experience after he was released from the federal system.
In addition to the program, participants participated in a survey that posed questions about available OUD programs and the services that they offer, as well as any communication channels and frequency issues that they may encounter when ensuring continuity of care.
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Naloxone Trainings Available for Clinicians, Community Members, and Pharmacists
The East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition (EBSPC) now offers online webinar trainings for pharmacists, clinicians, and the community as an educational opportunity to learn more about overdose prevention, lessen the stigma surrounding the use of substances, and how to use Naloxone/Narcan, the lifesaving opioid overdose reversal drug. Presenters include Aglaia Panos, a pharmacist with Marin County; Michaela Jones, the Overdose Prevention Education and Naloxone Distribution (OPEND) coordinator for HIV Education and Prevention Project of Alameda County (HEPPAC); and Seth Gomez, a PharmD Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist with Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless (HCH). Registration through the ACCMA is required to view the trainings as a member, and as a non-member.
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Naloxone Distribution List Now Available
The EBSPC has developed a naloxone distribution list to provide available resources for accessing naloxone, sterile supplies, educational programs, and community workshops. The resource list serves as a guide for those in the East Bay region to find a specific program that matches their intended goals. Programs include community health centers that provide health education, health care, and social services. The guide is not a complete list of organizations and health care providers who distribute naloxone in the East Bay region, but rather a diverse range of programs for people to find their intended service. To access the distribution list, please click here.
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Mental Health First Aid Technical Assistance Sessions
The East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition is partaking in the Public Health Institute’s Mental Health First Aid training program. MHFA is an evidence-based curriculum from the National Council for Behavioral Health that gives participants the skills to recognize emerging mental health and substance use challenges and respond in crisis situations. MHFA breaks down the silos between mental health and substance use, focuses on the experience of the individual navigating the challenge, and teaches participants how to notice and intervene when a crisis occurs. In addition to the opportunity to become certified in Mental Health First Aid, coalition members will be provided with technical assistance to help think through the intersection of trauma, mental health, and addiction, including those linkages specific to opioid mis/use and overdose that are impacting our communities. PHI’s technical assistant will aid in the development of strategic frameworks for addressing identified issues and provide a series of recommendations for implementation, including further professional development, needed resources, and/or community considerations.
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California Substance Use Line
The first California Substance Use Line is now available throughout the state of California. The line is a free, confidential, 24/7 tele-consultation service open to any clinician throughout California. The line features physicians, pharmacists, and nurses to provide evidence-based guidance on substance use evaluation and management. The hotlines serve to help calls address substance use cases, build the capacity to help patients, and develop and implement protocols for opioid overdose and withdrawal and its aftercare.
The California Substance Use line works in collaboration with the California Poison Control System (CPCS) and the National Clinician consultation Center (NCCC) of the university of California, San Francisco. In addition, the line serves to provide invaluable resources for health care providers who are seeking personalized guidance and support, as well as help address the need for reliable, convenient resources to troubleshoot issues and receive expert guidance.
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Member Spotlight - Kenneth A. Saffier |
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Kenneth A. Saffier, MD is board certified in Family and Addiction Medicine. Doctor Saffier has been practicing at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Center since 1987. Doctor Saffier has been addressing the opioid epidemic as an individual family physician. He treats patients in our FQHC clinics, both in family medicine or in short notice clinics, and he would refer them to his chronic pain management clinic for easier access when he had enough patients. When there were more than 2 patients, he would schedule them as a group; these groups grew over time, in number, and in frequency. Today, he is the lead physician of the Choosing Change program, which is interdivisional in Contra Costa Health Services. Doctor Saffier has been addressing the opioid epidemic by improving the treatment for those with OUD. “Society as a whole still stigmatizes people with OUD and we need to reframe this chronic illness like we see other diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. We need to educate people and institutions, both medical and non-medical.” Many non-medical addiction treatment programs and their staff still see buprenorphine as a form of “just another addictive drug” even though it saves lives and allows people to live healthier lives.
To view Dr. Saffier’s full member spotlight, please click here.
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The California Department of Public Health, Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch presents the webinar on Opportunities for Collaboration and Synergy: Prevention of Opioids & Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - October 27 th, from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM PST. Please register by clicking here.
The Center for Advancing Pain Relief will be hosting the Essentials of Primary Care Pain Management 2020 Virtual Conference – November 7 th and 8 th, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST. Registration details and more information coming soon; please contact Ms. Cristy Chung at [email protected] for the latest updates. |
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