NJ MAT Centers of Excellence Newsletter |
|
Fri, June 18th, 2021 | Issue #25 |
|
|
|
Cooper University Health Care Center for Healing Creative Wellness Open House |
The new epicenter of the Southern NJ MAT Center of Excellence, the Cooper University Health Care Center for Healing, is hosting a Creative Wellness Open House in Camden, NJ, on Saturday, June 26th from noon–3pm EDT.
The Center for Healing takes an integrative approach in providing patients access to pain, addiction, and behavioral health care in a variety of entrance points based on each individual need. Patients have the opportunity to engage in the creative wellness program: artistic practices that can reduce stress, support positive psychological states, and have an impact on overall wellness and wellbeing. “In Bloom” is a selection of art created in April and May of 2021.
|
|
|
|
|
|
No "Back to Normal" for Our Failed Drug Policies |
This is a commentary written in the International Journal of Drug Policy that states that COVID-19 has provided the opportunity to "reconsider the legal architecture of drug policy and policing" in the U.S and that we should not return to the status quo post-pandemic. We should, instead, focus on drug policies that support "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." |
|
|
|
|
OBAT Navigator Skills Lab: Medical-Legal Partnerships |
The OBAT Navigator Skills lab is a new series hosted by the Camden Coalition to further support OBAT navigators in their work. These topics come from the Navigator Support Events and allow for further review and discussion of a particular topic.
The first skills lab will be on medical-legal partnerships and will help navigators hone the skills to help their patients who frequently face legal issues that can hinder their recovery.
Date of Event: Tuesday, June 22nd, 12 - 1pm
|
|
|
|
|
MAT Lunch Hour: OUD in the Pregnant and Perinatal Population |
Join us for the next MAT Lunch Hour to network, collaborate, and discuss, which are now occurring monthly!
The next forum will feature Dr. Kaitlan Baston from Cooper University Healthcare, who will be speaking about managing OUD in the pregnant and perinatal population.
Next Forum: Wednesday, June 23rd, 12 - 1pm
|
|
|
|
|
ECHO: Managing Concurrent Benzodiazepine Use and Opioid Use Disorder |
If you missed any of the previous MAT or continuous quality improvement ECHO sessions, they are posted on our Northern COE Website webinar archive. Please note that you are only able to receive CE credits by attending LIVE ECHO sessions.
The next ECHO session is on Friday, July 2nd
12 - 1pm
Topic: Managing Concurrent Benzodiazepine Use Disorder and OUD
This ECHO program will provide you information on managing benzodiazepine use disorder in patients with opioid use disorder.
Do you have a patient or client you would like to present to the panel to receive recommendations and suggestions for management? Please click here to email your question(s) or scenario(s).
|
|
|
|
|
Is Opioid Agonist Treatment Associated with Risk of Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality Among People with Opioid Use Disorder? |
It is no surprise that those with opioid use disorder have a greater mortality than those of the general population. This systematic review/meta-analysis sought to estimate the association of time receiving opioid agonist therapy (OAT), excluding naltrexone, with mortality, looking at overall all-cause and cause-specific mortality and evaluating buprenorphine and methadone specifically. It included all observational studies that included data on all-cause or cause-specific morality among those receiving or not receiving OAT, as well as randomized clinical trials. Overall, the rate of all-cause mortality during treatment was more than half (53% lower) of the rate seen during time out of treatment. There was also a statistically signficant lower risk of suicide, drug- and alcohol-related death, and cardiovascular-related death. However, all-cause mortality was 6 times higher in the 4 weeks after stopping OAT which remained at double the rate for the remainder of time not receiving treatment. This study provides more evidence of the mortality reducing benefits of opioid agonist therapy and the need to continue increasing access to this therapy to improve population health.
|
|
|
|
|
Low-Barrier Buprenorphine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Transition to On-Demand Telemedicine with Wide-Ranging Effects |
This is a paper sharing the experiences of using telehealth to treat patients with OUD at The Harm Reduction and BRidges (HRBR) to Care Clinic in Oregon. Within a week of being able to see patients virtually, the clinic transitioned to >90% virtual visits. This change allowed for increased access for those needing low-barrier care, and needed institutional support, grant funding, and a small flexible team. They advocate for these continued relaxed regulations after the COVID-19 pandemic while also mentioning the importance of continued research on how telemedicine impacts diversion, continued substance use, and provider practices. |
|
|
|
|
The Push for Increased Access to Naloxone on College Campuses |
This is an article published in the Journal of American College Health, describing a collaborative model for proactive opioid overdose prevention in 2016 at the University of Texas At Austin. This model included stocking naloxone in residence halls, providing naloxone to police officers and resident advisors to respond to overdoses, and engaging student pharmacists to provide education to the student body.
Also below is a recent article that describes why the California Polytechnic State University is advocating to have naloxone on campus, and compares it to having a fire extinguisher, defibrillator, or even a seat belt. Given that fentanyl is surreptitiously added to other substances such as cocaine, benzodiazepines and MDMA, individuals who are experimenting with these substances may not know they are taking an opioid and are therefore at the highest likelihood of overdose death.
The importance of providing harm reduction for many people in different settings cannot be overstated.
|
|
|
24/7 MAT Provider Hotline: 844-HELP OUD (844-435-7683)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
