This Learning Community is an intensive, collaborative, interactive professional learning opportunity focused on the integration of hepatitis C (HCV) services into office-based opioid treatment (OBOTs) and Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs). It is based on the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network’s Your Guide to Integrating HCV Services into Opioid Treatment Programs. HCV services include prevention education, screening, antibody HCV tests, confirmatory RNA HCV testing, and HCV treatment, including referrals to outside treatment providers and onsite treatment. Participating providers will learn how to integrate, expand, and enhance HCV services into their current clinical practices while benefiting from a peer-based learning collaborative structure. The project will be led and facilitated by Scott Luetgenau, MSW, LCAS, CSI, who is an expert in this area. The South Southwest ATTC offered this Learning Community opportunity to all states in Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas). Interest was received from Oklahoma providers, and therefore the project is Oklahoma focused.

What are the benefits of participating in this learning community?

Providers who participate in the LC will have the opportunity to:

• Learn from subject matter experts in the fields of substance use disorders and infectious diseases
• Receive technical assistance related to service integration throughout the course of the LC.
• Meet peers from organizations across Oklahoma and learn how they are working to integrate HCV services.

Participating organizations committed staff member(s) to their learning community core team who serve in the medical, behavioral health, peer and administrative learning positions. Examples of participant roles include: 

• A Change Leader to serve as the point person from the organization, participates in all learning community sessions, manages the action plan, coordinates with other team members, and submits data.
• A Clinical Lead who is a clinical staff person able to impact clinical pathways,

workflows and has decision-making authority.

• A Finance Lead who can provide financing support for sustainable program implementation.
• A Medical Lead, generally the location’s medical director, who oversees medical and prescriber initiatives.
• The team should also include the top organization leadership (Executive Director or CEO). This person may or may not participate in the learning community sessions but provides support and resources for other staff participation.

Training commitment: (April 12 through August 9, 2024)

• Participants will meet virtually every second and fourth Friday of the month for nine sessions of 1.5 hours with the lead facilitator, Scott Luetgenau. Contributing facilitators include Jason Ballew, MD, Medical Director, Opioid Treatment Services, and Jen Mathis, MD, Medical Director Addiction Medicine Services with Northeastern Health System, Tahlequah, OK. 
• Some session topics include “Integrated Care Approach, HCV Testing, and Orientation to the Learning Community”, “Preparing for Organizational Change and Planning”, and “Planning for Funding and Sustainability”. The last session is a closing ceremony. 

Participating organizations have already ben selected for 2024. However, for more information about future opportunities about the Learning Community, please contact Mary S. Cook at [email protected].