';
Substance Use Disorder

January 18, 2023, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm ET
REGISTER

A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — to provide effective services with a healing orientation. Trauma-informed practices hold the potential to improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as provider and staff wellness.

This webinar, cosponsored by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) and the Better Care Playbook, will highlight how Denver Health, a large health system in Colorado, is implementing a trauma- and resilience-informed approach into organization-wide policy and practice, while also focusing on addressing systemic racism and biases. Panelists — including Maria Gonsalves Schimpf, MA, MT-BC, Director, Denver Health RESTORE; Kris Gaw, MBA, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, Denver Health; and Ken Epstein, PhD, LCSW, Consultant, P.R.E.P. for Change Consulting — will discuss their efforts, including building staff capacity, promoting organizational culture change, and gaining leadership buy in.

Denver Health is a participant in Advancing Integrated Models, a national initiative led by CHCS and made possible through support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs announced an open enrollment period at the end of 2022 for licensed substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers in Pennsylvania to submit their information to be included in the Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform (ATLAS). This open enrollment period has been extended through January 13, 2023.

Those who can take advantage of this extension include:

  1. Facilities already included in ATLAS. Providers already enrolled and needing to make changes to their profile information should contact Shatterproof directly.
  2. Facilities that have not submitted the treatment facility survey. Shatterproof will reach out directly to licensed SUD facilities that are not currently included on the tool. There is a streamlined submission process for those organizations with multiple facilities.

By completing the ATLAS survey during this open enrollment period, providers ensure that the information presented in their site’s profile on the ATLAS website is accurate. Providers also gain access to a customized portal that allows them to benchmark and compare their services against their peers. Contact Angad Buttar with questions or to have the treatment facility survey resent to your agency.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs issued Information Bulletin 04-22 today. The purpose of the bulletin is to make Single County Authorities, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers, and other SUD-related organizations aware that they may be asked to serve on a death review team and that they may be asked to provide records as part of a death review team’s duties pursuant to Act 101 of 2022.

Read Information Bulletin 04-22.

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Vision, Strategy and Culture of Innovation: A Symposium for the Health and Human Services Sector
Thursday, January 12, 2023
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm EST
Virtual Event
REGISTER NOW

Please join RCPA member Woods Services for a 90-minute virtual panel on the topic of Vision, Strategy, and Cultivating a Culture of Innovation in the health and human services arena. Moderated by Tine Hansen-Turton, President and CEO of Woods Services, a dynamic panel comprised of national and regional experts will be covering trends and data relevant to the field and this topic. How do these experts carry out their vision for their organization? What is their best thinking on developing and executing vision and strategy for their organization? And what does it mean to an organization to establish a culture of innovation? Join us to learn what it takes to succeed from the best in the field.

Thriving Through Transformation Symposia Series

This symposium is part of a bigger symposia series offered through the Social Innovations Partners online platform that will highlight key themes in Woods’ book, Thriving Through Transformation, A Practical Guide to Creating Organizational Change in the Social Sector. These themes are relevant to all in the health and human services and social sectors. Developing and driving a clear and consistent vision for change and creating and executing meaningful strategic and tactical plans were the foundation for the transformation Woods experienced as described in the book, while establishing a culture of innovation has ensured that we remain a dynamic leader in the field.

Learn more about the speakers, agenda, and registration details here.

Act 111, which amends the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972 to no longer define fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia, took effect Monday. Under the new law, people in Pennsylvania who buy or carry fentanyl testing strips will no longer face potential criminal charges for possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs (e.g., cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables).

With the passage and signing into law of a federal omnibus appropriations bill last week, the requirement that healthcare providers possess a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) X-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) has been eliminated. The move is intended to expand access to addiction treatment.

Named for the “x” that accompanies a narcotics prescribing license, DEA X-waivers have been required to prescribe buprenorphine, a Schedule III drug, as treatment for OUD. Applying for an X-waiver required providers to undergo additional training. The X‑waiver requirement had also limited the number of patients providers can treat. It was largely seen as a barrier preventing many practitioners from treating addiction.

Read the White House’s statement on elimination of the X-waiver.