The New England ATTC, in partnership with the New Hampshire Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association, hosted a training that discussed the pain management & opioid public health crisis. This comprehensive training was developed by renowned experts from Collaborative for REMS Education (CO*RE) and incorporates all six units outlined in US FDA Blueprint for safe opioid prescribing. This course also provides some context around safe opioid prescribing by discussing biopsychosocial aspects of pain, the newest clinical guidelines on the treatment of chronic pain, and state policies about prescribing opioids.

During this training, participants learned how to:

• Describe the pathophysiology of pain as it relates to the concepts of pain management.
• Accurately assess patients in pain.
• Develop a safe and effective pain treatment plan.
• Identify evidence-based non-opioid options for the treatment of pain.
• Identify the risks and benefits of
  opioid therapy.
• Manage ongoing opioid therapy.
• Recognize behaviors that may be associated with opioid use disorder.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:  Dr. Edwin A. Salsitz has been an attending physician in the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Division of Chemical Dependency, New York City, since 1983, and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is the principal investigator of the Methadone Medical Maintenance (office-based methadone maintenance) research project.  Dr. Salsitz is certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM), as well as by the Board of Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. He has published and lectures frequently on addiction medicine topics. Dr. Salsitz is a course director for ASAM sponsored buprenorphine trainings and is a mentor in the PCSS-MAT mentoring program. He has co-chaired the ASAM Review Course, the ASAM Common Threads Course, the ASAM State of the Art course and is a reviewer for the Journal of Addiction Medicine and Drug and Alcohol Dependence. He is the chair of the ASAM REMS course on safe and effective prescribing of opioids.  Dr. Salsitz was the Co-chair of the ASAM CME committee and Chair of the New York Society of Addiction Medicine CME and Education committee. Dr. Salsitz is a member of the medical advisory panel, for the New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. Dr. Salsitz is the recipient of the 2014 ASAM Annual Award, and the 2018 ASAM Annual Educator of the Year Award.

This training event was held on December 12, 2019 in Warwick, RI and on December 13, 2019 in Concord, NH. Future trainings in this topic can be requested via email at [email protected].