Bridging the Gap: Telemedicine as a Path to Primary Care Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Use Disorder

In this webinar, Dr. Holly Russell and Michele Lawrence of UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence discuss telemedicine MOUD as a bridging strategy. They go through key questions involved in implementing a program, including how to plan and implement the use of a telemedicine “bridge,” and how to reach key populations with such a program. The bridge approach provides the community time to heal and develop trust, and also ensures physicians time to become trained in MOUD and build the necessary care management infrastructure into their practice for OUD treatment. Finally, the bridge connects patients with local access to the medication that is critical to their recovery and survival,

Critical Role of Peer Specialists in Recovery

This article summarizes the discussion about the important role of Peer Recovery Specialists during a breakout session at the 2022 Taking Action Summit.
“As jail liaison for Santa Cruz County Justice Court in Arizona, Martin Felix has seen what peer specialists can do. He recalled waking up with tubes in his body after an overdose put him in a coma for three days. He now recognizes that his own extraordinary recovery is what gives him the credibility to reach others and offer them hope. He believes the perspective and insight that come from lived experience are “the special sauce” that enables peer specialists to relate to other people with substance use disorder (SUD) and guide them to recovery.”

Applying Motivation-Phase Interventions to Treat Tobacco Use Among People with Opioid Use Disorder

This webinar presentation is on the importance of tobacco treatment for people with opioid use disorder. It discusses research on providing treatment for smokers who are not motivated or not ready to quit, and also explores barriers to quitting tobacco among those who live in rural communities.

Recommendations for Culturally Recentering Reinforcement-Based Substance Use Disorder Interventions in Collaboration with Rural Tribal Communities

This webinar presentation covers strategies providers may use to culturally adapt and implement contingency management among rural American Indian and Alaska Native communities, as a treatment approach offering incentives for healthy progress in people with substance use disorder (SUD).

Three years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: What we’ve learned, and how it can make us better at treating rural patients with SUD

This presentation explores lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic as they relate to rural populations with substance use disorder (SUD), including discussion of the ways the pandemic affected barriers to SUD treatment and social coping strategies, as well as approaches toward addressing vaccine hesitance, and strategies for providing remote/virtual outreach to rural patients with SUD.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants as Buprenorphine Providers: Facilitators and Barriers

This webinar presentation describes the expansion of nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians into opioid use disorder treatment, particularly in rural communities. It also explores barriers and facilitators regarding nurse practitioner engagement in buprenorphine treatment, including regulations, education, and broader social factors such as stigma. Specific considerations for advanced practice clinicians’ work with members of rural communities are discussed.

Evidence-Based Treatment of PTSD in Individuals with OUD, and Innovative Approaches for Increasing Access to Care in Rural Communities

This presentation discusses effective treatment approaches for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals with co-occurring opioid use disorder (OUD). It also explores ways to increase access to evidence-based trauma treatment for members of rural communities.

Assessment of Substance Use Disorder Stigma and Strategies for Addressing Stigma in Rural Areas

This presentation shares results from the National Report on Rural Substance Use Disorder Stigma and Treatment Needs — a collaborative nationwide effort conducted by all three Rural Centers of Excellence. Representatives from each RCOE discuss strategies for addressing stigma in rural areas.

Rural Opioid and Direct Support Services (ROADSS) for Methadone Maintenance Treatment

This article discusses the Rural Opioid and Direct Support Services (ROADSS) program, and provides a toolkit including an implementation packet, staffing plan, sample job descriptions, and an onboarding checklist.

Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: A Practical Solution to an Urgent Need

UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence has developed comprehensive training on the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in primary care to prepare providers and staff to deliver evidence-based care to patients. This website provides links to all of the training modules, which can be taken for CEL credit.