A SAMHSA sponsored two-part series webinar presented by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, took place Monday, March 21, 2022 from 3:30-5:00pm Eastern Time (Part One) and Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 3:00-4:00pm Eastern Time (Part Two) called “Overdose Prevention Across the Continuum of Care: Strategies from the Field”.
Description: Alarmingly, more than 100,000 people died from a drug overdose in the United States between May 2020 and April 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the health, social, and economic factors that contribute to overdose risk, while concurrently illicit fentanyl has infiltrated the nation’s drug supply. Approximately 18% of adults with serious mental illness also have a co-occurring substance use disorder and adults with serious mental illness are more likely to use substances compared to people with no mental illness increasing their risks for overdose and substance use-related harms.
Despite the rising rates of overdose, substance use-related harms are preventable. Evidence-based practices exist across a continuum of care for people at risk of overdose and evidence suggests that many people with substance use disorders benefit from the provision of mental health services; however, they often face significant challenges accessing life-saving services and navigating systems of care.
To support policymakers, providers, and organizations in their efforts to prevent overdose, attendees of this webinar will learn about a range of evidence-based strategies that have been successfully implemented across the continuum of care to prevent overdose and improve the health of people who use drugs and people with substance use disorders, including people with co-occurring serious mental illness. Implementation strategies at the individual, organizational, and systems levels will be discussed drawing from real world examples and the latest research.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on care delivery will also be discussed, including the increased use of telehealth and technology-assisted services. Additionally, attendees will be provided several technical assistance resources to assist with planning and implementation efforts.
Learning objectives:
Following the webinar, attendees will be able to:
• Understand the continuum of risk related to overdose and overdose death.
• Identify a range of evidence-based strategies that can be implemented to prevent overdose in communities. Examine the benefits increased access to mental health services can have on substance use and overdose deaths
• Describe the ways in which providers and organizations can support linkage to care efforts to reduce risk of overdose.
• Identify opportunities to support and partner with community-based organizations and local agencies in their communities to better address overdose risk.
• Access a range of resources to guide planning and implementation efforts.
Presenters:
•Shannon Mace, JD, MPH, Senior Advisor, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
•Flannery Peterson, Director, Practice Improvement, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
•Aaron Williams, MA, Senior Advisor, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Kelle Masten via email at kelle.masten@nasmhpd.org.
Thank you!
**We do not offer CEU credits however a letter of attendance will be available to download during the evaluation after the webinar is complete.
***Closed-captioning is available for this webinar.