Drug Overdose Prevention Information

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

PDO email header

June 16, 2020

Here are your weekly opioid epidemic updates from the Indiana State Department of Health:

1 in 5 Emergency Department Physicians Ready to Offer Buprenorphine

Researchers at Yale University surveyed almost 400 emergency department (ED) clinicians on their readiness to provide buprenorphine for patients. After examining the responses from clinicians in Manhattan, Baltimore, Seattle and Cincinnati, researchers found that one in five ED clinicians are ready to provide buprenorphine for patients who present with opioid use disorder. Clinicians who did not feel ready to prescribe buprenorphine reported the following barriers: lack of formal training, time limitations, lack of knowledge of local treatment centers, absence of referral networks, and belief that prescribing buprenorphine is not the emergency department’s responsibility. This study was the first portion of a larger project from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials network. The goal of this project is to fund research into strategies that aid in increasing the dispensation of buprenorphine prescriptions in emergency departments.

ED

PPE in EMS Moving Forward: Lessons Learned from COVID-19

As COVID-19 continues to maintain its presence in the United States, healthcare workers continue to learn and adapt to best practices of protecting themselves and patients. As new research on the effectiveness of various personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 emerges, new recommendations have been issued for emergency medical service (EMS) workers. An overarching recommendation includes an increase in the use of masks by both EMS providers and patients to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other respiratory diseases. Additionally, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported the COVID-19 is able to live on services for an extended period of time, the use of lightweight gowns by EMS workers is encouraged. These gowns should be worn for all interactions with patients and changed between calls to prevent the spread of the virus pathogen.


Braeburn Seeks Final Approval on Injectable Buprenorphine

The pharmaceutical company, Braeburn, has moved for final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their new drug Brixadi. This drug is an injectable form of buprenorphine that can be adjusted to provide enough of a dose for a weekly or monthly injection. Brixadi had been tentatively approved by the FDA in December 2018 in order to treat moderate to severe opioid use disorder. This final approval from the FDA would allow this drug to be marketed to the public in December 2020. In previous studies, Brixadi has been found to be as safe as naloxone and effective in decreasing opioid withdrawal and cravings. Braeburn reported that they expect the FDA to approve Brixadi by Dec. 1, 2020.

FDA

Follow us! @INDTrauma

twitter

Check out our website

world wide web logo

UPCOMING EVENTS

light blue divider

Staying Connected: Using Telehealth to Advance Addiction Treatment During COVID-19

1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 16

In response to the major changes in the delivery of health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, addiction treatment providers have begun to utilize telehealth. Research suggests that telehealth is an effective treatment option, however, little research exists on its effectiveness for addiction treatment. The need to shift to telehealth services due to the pandemic happened suddenly and poses unique challenges to policy makers as well as providers for delivery addiction services. This webinar will review the telehealth policy changes as a result of the pandemic and what this means for addiction treatment. Challenges of telehealth will be reviewed and specific recommendations for policy makers, providers, and individuals will be made on how to best support the path to recovery via telehealth.

To register for this webinar, click here.

light blue divider

Orleans Parish Reentry Court: Connecting Individuals to Services

2:30 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 17

The Bureau of Justice Assistance in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program will be presenting on the value of reentry courts using social services and medication assisted treatment (MAT). Using the Orleans Parish reentry court as an example, participants will learn how nonviolent offenders were connected with individualized case management, job skills, MAT paired with cognitive behavioral therapy prior to their release from prison. Ultimately, this webinar will seek to teach how this cross system collaboration can reduce recidivism rates and better meet the needs of individuals. 

To register for this webinar, click here.

You’re Thinking About Addiction and Choice All Wrong

1 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, June 24

This webinar will focus on reframing addiction as a part of a larger, complex system of how one’s body functions. The neurobiology of addiction will be discussed along with the variety of factors that may cause addiction. Which specific factors may be causing an individual’s struggle with addiction can be used in order to better tailor their one-on-one care. This nuanced understanding will aid in creating better treatment outcomes for patients and stronger program designs to be implemented by counselors.

To register for this webinar, click here.

light blue divider

Prescription Opioid Overdose Prevention Messaging in Rural Communities

2 p.m. EDT, Thursday June 25

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a webinar that focuses on teaching communication strategies that are effective in creating targeted messages toward members of rural communities on opioid overdose. The CDC has collected data showing that more individuals living in rural communities are prescribed opioids than for those living in an urban community. Additionally, as rural communities have less access to addiction treatment even though they are more likely to suffer from prescription opioid overdose. Therefore, tailoring a message to these communities is a powerful education tool to help decrease prescription opioid addiction in rural areas.

To register for this webinar, click here.

light blue divider