Insights

Join us for a webinar that examines three projects that demonstrate how HMA has partnered with states and counties to address opioid use disorder with an equity focus. HMA experts will be joined by representatives from partner organizations to discuss their efforts to reduce disparities, which have been trending upward nationally, in opioid use disorder prevalence and overdose deaths—whether it be in brown and black communities or with pregnant and parenting people.

Learning objectives:

1. Learn how states can implement strategies to engage non-traditional partners to address equity.
2. Understand why partnering with community organizations and community leaders is critical to addressing inequities in substance use disorder (SUD).
3. Discover how HMA can support states, counties, and municipalities in these efforts.

Speakers:

• Paul Fleissner, Managing Principal, HMA
• Amanda White Kanaley, Senior Consultant, HMA
• Charles Robbins, Principal, HMA
• George Lewis, CEO, Motivational Consulting, Inc.
• Minsun Park Meeker, MPP, Assistant Executive Director, Los Angeles County Office of Child Protection
• Brent Waninger, M.Ed., Director of Executive Programs, Grants Administration, and the Overdose Response Center, Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
• Rev. Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker, II, Senior Pastor, Mother African Union Church

The final webinar of this three-part series emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive and interconnected spectrum of engagement and treatment strategies. To truly build and maintain a substance use disorder (SUD) ecosystem with accountability across the system and ‘no wrong door,’ best practices must embrace a systems-thinking approach. An interconnected system requires building strong partnerships across the SUD ecosystem and engagement and treatment strategies will focus on leveraging those partnerships to facilitate engagement of individuals throughout the system.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss approaches to system alignment that emphasize impact and ensure individuals remain engaged no matter where they are in their SUD journey.
2. Describe a comprehensive approach to systems thinking that builds accountable relationships and partnerships to ensure that the system has no wrong doors for engagement of individuals throughout the system.

Watch previous webinars in the series.

The Compassionate Overdose Response Summit and Naloxone Dosing Meeting, held on March 18-19, 2024, was a two-day summit where naloxone experts built consensus on the definition of a compassionate bystander overdose response.

Day 1 (March 18) was an invitation-only for a small group of researchers, people with lived experience of overdose, those who have reversed multiple overdoses, and medical providers tasked with drafting an issue brief that will be the basis for the remainder of the summit.

Day 2 (March 19) was an open virtual summit. On this day, we shared the issue brief with the audience for feedback and host multiple presentations that covered emerging research on this topic, including:

• The impact of different naloxone doses and formulations on people who receive them
• The role of oxygen in community overdose response
• Communication strategies for bystander overdose response steps

The event produced clear guidance on naloxone dosing and the role of oxygen in overdose response:

1. There is no real-world evidence for high-dose or long-acting opioid antagonists; therefore, until there is community experience with those regimens, they should not be included in standing orders or made available for broad community use.
2. Rescue breathing is standard overdose response protocol and should be included in educational materials and training.
3. People who use drugs must be central to the design, development, purchasing and distribution of all overdose reversal products

Additional materials from this event are below:

• Compassionate Overdose Response Summit Agenda
• Missouri’s Overdose Field Report: Naloxone dosing remains stable despite concerns otherwise
• Understanding negative reactions following overdose reversal with naloxone
• Examination of Naloxone Dosing Patterns for Opioid Overdose by Emergency Medical Services in Kentucky during Increased Fentanyl Use from 2018 to 2021
• Two decades of data: Insights from syringe service participants and EMS
• Scope of international research and what are the next research questions

For justification for the above statements or for questions, please contact Erin Russell.

This webinar was held on March 14, 2024. 

This was part 1 of our 3-part webinar series, “Substance Use Disorder Ecosystem of Care: Pivoting to Save Lives.”  In this session, we provided an overview of the series and took a look at the services and support that comprise a system of care for people who are not yet in treatment. These services are often community-based and involve outreach, engagement, and meeting people where they are. As people enter treatment, experience relapse, or choose to move through different treatment modalities, health promotion and harm reduction can serve as a safety net to keep people continuously engaged.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the differences between prevention, promotion, and harm reduction.
• Illustrate the primary goal of health promotion.
• Distinguish the continuum and role of health promotion related to stages of chronic disease: active, controlled, and relapse.
• Identify role of harm reduction as a health promotion activity in the public sector v. the harm reduction often carried out in CBO/non-profit sector.

Whether you are a healthcare professional, caregiver, or someone personally affected by substance use, this webinar offered a roadmap for navigating the complexities of the Substance Use Care Continuum, fostering hope and resilience in the pursuit of sustained well-being.

Watch previous webinars and register for upcoming webinars in the series.

This webinar was held on November 2, 2023. 

Health Management Associates (HMA) offered a 3-part series of webinars looking at the effect of proposed regulations on delivery of opioid treatment services to the population facing addiction issues. In this third and final webinar, HMA consultants highlighted opportunities for state regulators to shape policy and regulation of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.

New federal regulations encourage significant changes to how opioid treatment is provided, with the goal of expanding access and improving patient-centered care. State regulators will need to adapt their regulatory practices and work closely with Medicaid agencies and treatment providers so the new regulations can achieve their intended goals. This webinar discussed how State Opioid Treatment Authorities (SOTAs), licensing entities, and state Medicaid agencies will need to work together to craft updated regulations, facility licensing, and reimbursement practices that advance person-centered care.

HMA experts were joined by Allegra Schorr, VP, West Midtown Medical Group and President of the Coalition of Medication-Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates (COMPA). COMPA represents New York State’s Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), as well as providers offering office-based medication-assisted treatment, currently providing addiction treatment to over 43,000 New Yorkers.

Learning Objectives:

• New Regulatory Requirements – Overview of state rules around opioid treatment vs the new requirements.
• How to Improve SUD Treatment Access – Specific recommendations on statutory and regulatory changes that could lead to more patient centered treatment options.
• States Leading the Way – Examples from states that are leading the way to expand access and reduce stigma.

Other webinars in this series:

Watch the replay of Part 1 on Opioid Treatment Providers

Watch the replay of Part 2 on Opioid State Payers Aligning Incentives for Treatment