Products and Resources Catalog

DESCRIPTION Fatal overdoses and suicides are two of the most severe behavioral health outcomes. They are also growing more common. Suicide rates increased 41% nationally from 1999 to 2022, while fatal overdose rates increased 440%.1 Reducing fatal overdose and suicide is a top priority for the behavioral health field. Fortunately, suicide and overdose share many risk and protective factors. In fact, many interventions designed to address one outcome can simultaneously help address the other. Addiction treatment professionals can play a key role, as ongoing substance use is a shared risk factor for both outcomes.2 To download the entire version of the fact sheet, please use the Overdose and Suicide  button on the right side of the page.

This resource helps individuals and organizations navigate the legal landscape in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, ensuring that lifesaving harm reduction services, like naloxone distribution and overdose Good Samaritan laws, are accessible to those who need them most. This document was originally created in 2021 and updated in August of 2024.  

The New England ATTC, in partnership with RICARES, held the next monthly installment of the Recovery Science and Harm Reduction Reading Group series. We discussed a paper titled, “State-level homelessness and drug overdose mortality: Evidence from US panel data” by Cano and Oh. A summary of the discussion is available for download. Article link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871623011481?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=85fb4e876ef442b5 Please find the meeting summary here: ATTC ReadingGroup 03212024 Summary

The risk of fatal overdose has changed significantly in recent years, most notably with the emergence of the illicit opioid fentanyl and the increasing prevalence of polypharmacy. In this webinar, presenters Michael Hite, MBA and Desislav Hite, MD discussed trends and patterns in overdose cases over the last 5 years, factors that can increase overdose risk including identifiable life events and mental health co-occurring conditions, and how different populations are affected across Region 10. They also discussed actionable interventions to enhance overdose safety including new medical devices and digital resources, harm reduction strategies, and collaboration with local community organizations. Download slides | View recording

Presenters: Maya Magarati, PhD, and Angela Gaffney, MPA (Seven Directions) Seven Directions (UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences) is hosting the 2023 Our Nations, Our Journeys (ONOJ) conference June 27-29 in Minnesota, a biannual, in-person gathering of 300 tribal and urban Indian public and behavioral health practitioners, leaders, researchers, and Indigenous students focusing on healing from the opioid epidemic. This webinar, presented by Maya Magarati, PhD, and Angela Gaffney, MPA, will outline Seven Directions’ core visions and framework against a backdrop of ONOJ, discuss ways to appropriately engage with Indigenous communities, and spotlight (1) the development and implementation of an Indigenous Evaluation Toolkit for tribal public health programs, and (2) other opioid overdose prevention resources and communities of practice for tribal public health practitioners as facilitated by Seven Directions. Download slides | Watch recording    Webinar keyword: Specific populations

    DESCRIPTION: As the illicit opioid supply includes more and more fentanyl, there have been increasing concerns about increasing rates of buprenorphine initiation precipitating opioid withdrawal. This session will describe why we believe this is happening, how common it is, and buprenorphine initiation strategies to support patients in avoiding precipitated withdrawal.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe the challenges of buprenorphine initiation in the fentanyl era. Name three potential approaches to buprenorphine initiation. Counsel on reducing fentanyl-related harms.     TRAINER: Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin. She is the Program Director of the Preventive Medicine Residency and core Faculty for the Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Salisbury-Afshar is board certified in family medicine, preventive medicine/public health and addiction medicine and her expertise lies at the intersection of these fields. Her work has focused on expanding access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction services. Past public health roles include serving as Medical Director of Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore, Medical Director at Heartland Alliance Health (a healthcare for the homeless provider in Chicago), and Medical Director of Behavioral Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health. Dr. Salisbury-Afshar received her Medical Degree from Rush University Medical College and her Master’s in Public Health from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

Lack of buy-in can interfere with attempts to expand use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders. These three fact sheets offer strategies to build support for this evidence-based practice.  MAT Fact Sheet #1: Securing Buy-in            MAT Fact Sheet #2: Reducing Risk of Misuse and Diversion          MAT Fact Sheet #3: Making the Case for Medication

La falta de aceptación puede interferir con los atentos de ampliar el uso de tratamientos asistidos por medicamentos (TAM) para los trastornos por consumo de sustancias (TCS). Las Hojas Informativas de TAM ofrecen estrategias para generar apoyo para esta práctica basada en evidencia.  Hoja Informativa #1: Asegurando la Aceptación              Hoja Informativa #2: Reduciendo el Riesgo de Uso Indebido y la Desviación              Hoja Informativa #3: Abogando por las Medicamentos 

In partnership with Brown University SciToons and the Department of Emergency Medicine, the New England ATTC created the product "Opioid Overdose Rescue: 5 Ways to Save the Life." This educational video teaches the viewer how to recognize an overdose and how to effectively intervene. Watch the video to learn more. 

Fatal overdoses are skyrocketing, and rates of substance use remain high, demonstrating the need to expand substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. In 2020, fatal overdoses in the Central East increased 25% (from 9,909 to 12,377), with overdose rates above the national average in every state except Virginia. Rates of substance use and SUD are persistently elevated. Funding additional treatment services and expanding access to existing treatment can help address the problem. This factsheet provides statistics and justifications for increasing SUD treatment.

The New England ATTC co-hosted the Recovery Science and Harm Reduction (RSHR) Reading Group meeting on March 09, 2022 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. This discussion reviewed the article, “Hoots and harm reduction: a qualitative study identifying gaps in overdose prevention among women who smoke drugs.”  View the March 2022 RSHR Reading group meeting summary that includes a brief article summary and key themes that arose in discussion with the participants.

Sponsored by: California Department of Health Care Services (CA DHCS), Opioid and Stimulant Implementation Support-Training and Technical Assistance (OASIS-TTA)-MAT Expansion Project, UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (UCLA ISAP), Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC), HHS Region 9, & Opioid Response Network STR-TA   Course Description This session will address “The Fourth Wave” of the opioid epidemic, including recent data on rising mortality due to fentanyl alone and in combination with methamphetamine. The rise of polysubstance use, including the use of the so called “goofball,” has implications for morbidity and mortality and raises the complexity of treatment. Treatment options, including use of medications, will be discussed. The session will also cover harm reduction strategies including naloxone, drug surveillance, and drug checking. This session will also include training on how to use fentanyl test strips, as part of a comprehensive public health and harm reduction strategy. Fentanyl test strips are a practical and effective tool for people who use drugs as means to encourage overdose risk education and reduce risk of death. Training will include discussion on distribution, limitations, sourcing, messaging amongst other considerations in the application and administration of use. Launch Date: November 12, 2021   At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to: 1. Recall the history, epidemiology and use patterns of two (2) drug classes, including synthetic opioids and stimulants. 2. Explain two (2) poly-drug use patterns involving synthetic opioids and methamphetamines and develop treatment strategies. 3. Propose three (3) harm reduction measures to prevent overdose deaths due to synthetic opioids. 4. Identify two (2) steps required when testing drug supply using Fentanyl Test Strips. CME Statements: The training course meets the qualifications for the provision of two (2.0) continuing medical education credits/contact hours (CMEs/CEHs). Continuing Education: The training course meets the qualifications for the provision of two (2.0) continuing education credits/contact hours (CEs/CEHs). Estimated time to complete the course: This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete. Cost: Free Disclosure statements: Dan Ciccarone, MD, MPH – University of California, San Francisco DISCLOSURES: Dr. Ciccarone is on the Scientific Advisory Board of Celero Systems and an expert witness in federal opioid litigation for Motley Rice LLC. All of the relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated. Amanda Cowan, MS – CLARE|MATRIX DISCLOSURES: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities. Trainers: Dan Ciccarone, MD, MPH – University of California, San Francisco Amanda Cowan, MS – CLARE|MATRIX

Presenter: Jenna van Draanen, PhD, MPH, University of Washington July 2021 This one-hour webinar discussed the role of harm reduction in addiction treatment and how it fits with other systems of care. In addition to covering recent service use patterns in the Northwest, Dr. van Draanen shared evidence and lessons learned from her work with overdose prevention sites (a model of peer-run safe consumption sites) in Vancouver, Canada. The session covered changes in overdose prevention site utilization during COVID-19, the importance of peer involvement in service delivery, and outcomes associated with overdose prevention site utilization. Download slides

This document is designed to reduce this information gap and help individuals and organizations better understand how the legal landscape in their state may impact access to harm reduction services and supplies, including overdose Good Samaritan laws, which provide limited protection from criminal sanctions to encourage people to call for help in an overdose emergency.

JMU Substance Use Disorder Education Virtual Conference An inter-professional training in SUDE/SBIRT for faculty and community partners. Holly Ireland, LCSW-C, Co-Director of the Central East ATTC presented the presentation at the conference: Implementing SBIRT: Substance Use Disorders Education. This was a closed event.

African Americans have lower rates of retention in substance use disorder treatment. In this one-hour webinar, Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, provides an overview of the factors that prevent African Americans from continuing in treatment. Presented on February 5, 2020.

Drs. Mark Ilgen and Amy S.B. Bohnert describe the factors that intersect in opioid use, overdose, and suicide. This webinar was the second in a series presented by the Great Lakes ATTC and the Central East ATTC on January 8, 2020.

Dr. Randy Brown will review the history of the ECHO tele-educational model and the history particular to the University of Wisconsin Project ECHO ACCEPT clinic regarding substance use disorders and related complications. He will review the general content of the curriculum and the format for these educational sessions.  Presented on November 22, 2019. 

The August 2019 Dialogue contains articles on: Addiction: Naloxone - Safe & Effective | Mental Health: Children Helping Children Bounce Back from Depression | Prevention: Overdose Awareness | ORN: International Overdose Awareness Day | Region 3 Spotlight: Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Across Campus & Community Conference. Additional sections include upcoming training and webinar events, behavioral health observances, new resources, and Region 3 news. The Dialogue is designed to inform behavioral and mental health professionals of news and upcoming events in the Central East states. This electronic newsletter is disseminated on the first Tuesday of each month. You are encouraged to provide us with any feedback or submit articles and topics for discussion in future issues of the newsletter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive the Dialogue and news and training announcements, sign up here.

Alcohol Awareness Card This double-sided wallet card offers a quick guide to standard drink sizes. It also describes the signs of alcohol poisoning and steps to take to help someone who is at risk of alcohol overdose. Produced by the Great Lakes ATTC and the Great Lakes PTTC To request hard copies, contact Maureen Fitzgerald at [email protected]

Three-part webinar series offered by the Great Lakes ATTC and the Northwest ATTC. Part 1 of the series provides an overview of stimulant (cocaine and methamphetamine) use in the U.S. Presenter Rick Rawson, PhD will discuss: The extent and geography of stimulant use Clinical syndromes produced by acute and chronic stimulant use Strategies for addressing acute intoxication, withdrawal, and stimulant-induced psychosis Effective behavioral treatments for stimulant use disorders The status of pharmacotherapy research on treatments for stimulant use disorders A discussion of vulnerable populations, including the problem of stimulant use by individuals in medication treatment for opioid use disorder   PowerPoint Presentation  

This one-hour, self-paced course on the HealtheKnowledge website is designed to equip peers and other outreach workers with information, resources, and practical tips to help them better understand opioids and their impact on individuals.  The course features four modules: Role of Peers in Recovery Opioids and the Brain Treatment Options Supporting Those Using Opioids Learn about effective treatment options and strategies for using person-centered care to engage people with opioid use disorder in their path to recovery. 1 NAADAC/NBCC CEU available!

Provides an overview of resources and initiatives to address opioid misuse in Ohio. Information effective May 2019. 

Provides an overview of state resources and initiatives to address the opioid epidemic in Minnesota. Information effective May 2019.