Bowen Health Workforce Information Portal

The Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy has released a new database that allows a community to measure its workforce infrastructure. The database allows users to choose one of four categories: supply distribution and characteristics, education pipeline, federal workforce shortage designations, and mental and behavioral health. In these categories, the user can track the density of specific licensed professionals in certain counties or statewide. The database also allows for the user to identify how many licensed professionals are in training.

Indiana to educate faith leaders on how to help people with opioid use disorder

Overdose Lifeline is traveling across the state to train faith-based leaders in an effort to save lives of people living with opioid use disorder. These trainings consist of learning how to support, host and connect people with recovery resources, as well as training pastors on administering naloxone. The goal of the trainings is to tap into a resource often overlooked, and to increase the efficacy of faith-based leaders to support people living with and in recovery for opioid use disorder. The next event can be found here.

As prescription opioid overdoses drop, fentanyl deaths skyrocket

According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths last year dropped for the first time in nearly three decades. While this is encouraging and definitely a step in the right direction, the CDC reports that fentanyl has surpassed prescription opioids as the most lethal overdose substance and is linked to three times as many deaths. The report also details a new frontier of the addiction epidemic: overdoses involving multiple substances. Oftentimes, people are dying of an overdose without knowing what they have taken. The federal government and state health departments, including the Indiana State Department of Health, have acquired naloxone to reverse overdosing and diminish the epidemic.

Indiana receives grant for opioid disaster jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday that Indiana will receive a grant to hire new employees to aid the current opioid crisis. The grant will create disaster-relief jobs, and will be focused on southeastern Indiana. The grant will hire more community health workers and recovery coaches, as well as develop programs to get job trainings for people living with opioid use disorders.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Fighting Addiction in Indiana through Hope: Faith-Based Trainings

July 10 - August 8
Join Overdose Lifeline, in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health at one of seven free regional, faith-based trainings across the state. These free trainings will help stakeholders build a collaborative network within each region by offering trainings, resources and assistance for faith-based partners. An informational flyer can be found here. Registration for the events can be found here.

Webcast Series: The Intersection of Substance Use, Overdose, and Suicide

July 30, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET
This webinar is part one of a two-part series presented in collaboration with the Great Lakes PTTC and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Part one will describe the complicated relationship between substance use disorders and suicidal thinking and behaviors. Presenters will explore the implications of this information for prevention and early intervention including opportunities for collaboration. Register for this event here.

Webcast: Breastfeeding Recommendations for Women Impacted by OUD

August 1, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET
This webcast will provide resources for identifying pregnant, breastfeeding, and post-partum women with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), strategies and tools for discussing it with them, and approaches to refer them to the most appropriate options for support and follow up. Register for this webinar here.

Webcast: Implementing MAT in Drug Court Settings

August 5, 2:00 p.m.-3:00p.m. ET
This webinar covers fundamental concepts for implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in drug court settings. Speakers will present about opioid addiction, how MAT works, and differences between medications currently used for MAT. Two local programs in New York and Missouri will be presented to illustrate MAT implementation in practice. Register for this event here.