Indiana State Medical Association launches new app for physicians

The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) has recently launched a free app that allows physicians to earn continuing medical education (CME) credits as part of the statewide requirement for physicians licensed to prescribe controlled substances. The app is part of ISMA’s comprehensive program to educate physicians about the opioid crisis using innovative technology. It makes earning CME easy and convenient, with courses taught by ISMA members and other experts.

What prevention training and technical assistance do you need most?

The Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) is a new five-year initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide free training and technical assistance (TA) to the substance use prevention workforce in seven Midwestern states, including Indiana. Please click here to complete the attached 10-minute survey and forward it to those in your prevention network and community. Your responses will help PTTC develop training and TA that meets the needs of the prevention workforce in our region—and that you can access for free. The survey closes on April 5.

More states require doctors to offer naloxone with opioid prescriptions

New state laws and regulations are requiring providers to write prescriptions for both opioid pain relievers and naloxone, a drug overdose reversal drug. Doctors in California, Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, Vermont and Rhode Island must now “co-prescribe” when writing prescriptions for Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, morphine, codeine and fentanyl to counter the potential for overdose deaths from these drugs. Co-prescribing naloxone has been endorsed by agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Tackling the opioid crisis: what state strategies are working?

Officials from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) recently met with policy makers from a dozen states to talk about their challenges and most promising strategies to tackle the opioid crisis. The group discussed and evaluated a range of policy approaches and identified a few field initiatives that are working, including tracking opioid prescribing, engaging corrections, ensuring treatment in rural areas and others.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Management Performance Hub (MPH) Data Day

March 20, 10:00am-2:00pm EDT
MPH Data Day is an open event for people that want to share ideas and learn how Indiana is leading the nation with data and innovation. Hear from MPH partners that are using Indiana data to positively impact the lives of Hoosiers, including the Indiana State Dept. of Health. Registration is not necessary.
Location: Indianapolis, IN

Employer Opioid Strategy – Event Series

March 21, 8:00am-3:00pm EDT
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Wellness Council of Indiana are hosting several events across Indiana to empower the business community to play a lead role in fighting the opioid epidemic. The events hope to educate and guide employers through the steps they can take to support prevention, early identification, treatment and recovery of opioid use disorder in their employees. The events began in January and will last through April. Register here.

Webcast: Recommendations for Surveillance of EMS Data for Opioid Overdoses

March 21, 2:00pm EDT
Presenters will provide recommendations for mining EMS data to find opioid overdoses using approaches ranging from highly sensitive to very specific. These approaches are intended to be used by any EMS or public health agency as a starting point to inform opioid surveillance. Register here.

Webcast: The Impact of the Opioid Crisis on Hospitals

March 28, 2:00pm EDT
Purdue University Extension is hosting a webinar that will focus on the nurses' perspective of the impact of the opioid crisis on hospitals. The webinar will cover data, and will focus on both the ER and the hospitalized patient. Prior registration is not required.

Webcast: Eight Guiding Principles for Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice

March 28, 3:00pm EDT
This webcast will focus on SAMHSA’s Eight Guiding Principles for Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice, which provide a foundation for realizing a quality, community-based behavioral health treatment system that is  critical to effective community-based behavioral healthcare for justice-involved populations.