Free Telementoring Program Brings Research-Based Practices & Skills to Health Care Pros Working with People who Use Alcohol 

By Cassie L. Boness, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions, University of New Mexico

The Alcohol Use and Mental Health Project ECHO is a no-cost virtual program for health care professionals who are looking for up-to-date and research-based information on working with people who use alcohol. 

Heavy alcohol use has a wide-reaching impact on society and individual wellbeing. The state of New Mexico has the highest rate of alcohol-related mortality in the nation (Esser et al., 2022). Yet, health care professionals often lack the training and expertise to work effectively with patients who use alcohol across the prevention-to-treatment spectrum (e.g., Dimoff et al., 2017; National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2012). 

In response to the public health impact of heavy alcohol use, particularly in New Mexico, the University of New Mexico launched the Alcohol Use and Mental Health Project Extensive for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) in July of 2022. Project ECHO is a collaborative model of medical education and care management that revolutionizes medical education by helping clinicians provide expert-level care to patients wherever they live, and exponentially increases workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care, and reduce health disparities. All sessions are conducted virtually, with accessibility and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge and practices at their core. 

The ATTC Network is celebrating its 30-year anniversary. View our Pearls of Wisdom blog series and more here. 

We're not resting on our laurels though! Our regional and national centers continue to create and disseminate the latest trainings and evidence-informed materials for use across the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery spectrum. See for yourself:

• Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiatives, hosted by Great Lakes ATTC, 9:30 to 11 a.m. CT, Thu., April 13

  • Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFWs) support their communities by recognizing recovery from substance use challenges as a strength and by being willing to work intentionally with people in recovery.  

  • Join us to learn how becoming a Recovery Friendly Workplace promotes the physical health and mental wellbeing of all employees. In this 90-minute session we’ll learn about New Hampshire’s national RFW initiative and hear from a panel of professionals leading RFW efforts in their states.

  • Register here. 
• The Brain, Substance Use Disorders and Parenting: A Guide for Public Health & Community Professionals, 10 to 11:30 a.m. ET, Fri., April 21
  •  In this training participants will gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved when the brain becomes an addicted brain and how these brain  changes influence the often-confusing outward behaviors common when a substance use disorder is present.
  • Participants will have the opportunity to gain an  appreciation for the factors that contribute to vulnerability for addiction as well as challenges faced by families who are impacted by substance use disorder concurrent with pregnancy and parenting.
  • Register here.
• New product: Fentanyl Resource Factsheet for Providers
  • This snapshot of information is intended to provide resources to individuals, parents, professionals, and providers on fentanyl use among Latinos in the United States. Developed by National Hispanic and Latino ATTC.
  • Available in English and Spanish here. 

Factors that Increase Risk of Overdose for Patients Starting Treatment with Medication for Opioid Use Disorder

Research has shown that treatment with medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), like methadone, buprenorphine, or extended-release injectable naltrexone, can decrease both risk for overdose and death from other causes for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). 

However, though the risk of drug-related death is lowered when someone with OUD begins MOUD, the risk doesn’t disappear completely, and there seems to be an especially elevated risk of overdose during the initial “induction” phase to MOUD and the time immediately after stopping treatment.

Bias at the Bedside: A Roleplay-Based Workshop for Responding to Biased Comments in a Teaching Hospital

Respect for diverse identities, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, cultural and religious background, and age, is extremely important in a medical setting. Patients and families are frequently cited as the individuals most often making biased comments in teaching hospital settings (the setting of focus for this study), and experiences of mistreatment are correlated with provider burnout.

Strategies for responding to biased comments from patients and families have been taught via webinars, scenario-based workshops, and reenactments.

SMI Adviser is debuting a new set of fact sheet resources in April 2023. Introducing, "The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness."

• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Alcohol
• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Benzodiazepines and Other Sedative Hypnotics
• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Cannabis
• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Opioids
• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Stimulants
• The Basics on Substance Use and Serious Mental Illness: Tobacco and Nicotine Products

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