Countering the Opioid Crisis: Time to Act

In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we experienced the highest annual increase in drug-related deaths in 50 years, nearly 30% higher than in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this episode, we will explore the opioid crisis at the local, state, and federal levels to learn what tactics are being utilized to serve different populations in response to today's deadly trends.

Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and co-chair of the NAM’s Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, and Brad Finegood, Strategic Advisor in Public Health in Seattle & King County in Washington State, expand on the latest overdose statistics from the CDC, and how addressing these trends can help us better support individuals with substance use disorder. Assistant Secretary Levine offers insight into the federal response, which addresses the four pillars of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. Working on the frontlines of the opioid crisis in Seattle, Brad shares his experience building community-first strategies to combat overdoes and the toll that increased drug use has had in his region. Listen for more about how we can turn the tide on the opioid epidemic in the United States at all levels.

Resources:

• Dismantling Buprenorphine Policy Can Provide More Comprehensive Addiction Treatment - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)
• The American Opioid Epidemic in Special Populations: Five Examples - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)
• Research, Data, and Metrics Working Group Research Agenda - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)
• Resources from the NAM’s Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic

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In this episode, Ruth Katz hosts Dr. Helena Hansen, professor, and chair of the research theme in translational social science and health equity at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Joy Rucker, the former executive director of the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, to discuss the role of racism in America’s opioid epidemic. They explore the societal, health, and policy systems that contribute to disparities in care for people of color with opioid use disorder (OUD) and offer solutions to ensure better outcomes for Black and brown communities in the opioid epidemic. Joy breaks down how policy and public perceptions further inequitable systems within the opioid epidemic and the direct consequences those systems have on people of color. Helena offers insight into the two pathways of care divided along racial lines that we see available to those with OUD. One focuses on criminal-justice solutions and the other on public health. Listen to learn more about how we can reform systems of inequity in the opioid epidemic to increase access to treatment and provide better outcomes for Black and brown communities.

In this episode, Ruth Katz hosts health information technology expert Edna Boone and Dr. Charlene Dewey, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to understand the role of stigma in the U.S. opioid epidemic. They dive into how the disease of substance use disorder became stigmatized, the ways in which stigma presents itself in the treatment and recovery journey, and what can be done to move past stigma, so individuals can seek accessible and effective health care without judgment. Edna shares the toll stigma can take on an individual, after seeing first-hand how family members were treated while seeking help for opioid use disorder (OUD). And Charlene offers insight into how the health care community is attempting to reduce the harm caused by stigma in both health education and clinical settings. Listen to learn more about how addressing stigma reduces barriers to treatment and recovery and improves quality of care for individuals with OUD.

Interested in learning more about stigma and opioid use disorder? 

Register for the Stigma of Addiction Summit on June 10

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The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded and intensified the barriers many people experience when trying to access treatment and harm reduction services for substance use disorders due to physical distancing protocols and fear of infection. However, the pandemic has also created an environment in which clinicians have been given more flexibility in providing care to patients. During this episode, Kelly Clark, an addiction medicine expert, and Daniel Sledge, a first responder, will discuss how providing care to patients, access to treatment, and caring for those in urgent need of assistance has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelly and Daniel share experience-based advice on the tools, policies, and multi-sector collaboration needed to combat the U.S. opioid crisis. They discuss the barriers and opportunities at the individual, first-responder, clinician, and systems level while shedding insight into changes in the national response, resources, and tools since the onset of the pandemic. 

Listen for more on how treatment providers evaluate the response to the opioid epidemic within the COVID-19 pandemic.