This six-part recorded webinar series introduces diverse strategies for success in ending the opioid epidemic. Participants will hear from legal, social, medical, and community intervention experts in a strategy-gathering information exchange.

**Instructions to access the course will be provided after you register.**
Ending the Opioid Epidemic Overview and the Importance of Overcoming Stigma, Holly Hagle, PhD and Renata Henry, MEd

The opioid epidemic began about 18 years ago and continues to necessitate public health focus as overdose deaths continue. In this recorded webinar, participants will learn about the epidemic’s history, opioid use related stigma and the associated impacts of this stigma, and the need to help all people realize the important treatment principle that opioid use disorder is a treatable chronic disease.
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able to:

• discuss the history of the opioid epidemic in America;
• describe the opioid use related stigma; and
• explain the impacts of opioid use related stigma.

Using Motivational Interviewing with People with Opioid Use Disorder, Christine Higgins, MA

• explain the importance of Motivational Interviewing as a non-judgmental counseling technique that encourages people to change;
• demonstrate how to use the Readiness Ruler in a health care setting to both assess and motivate individuals; and
• discuss how to explore an individual's Pros, Cons, and Ambivalence by using the Decisional Balance tool.

Medication Assisted Treatment in an Urban Clinic: Challenges and Opportunities, Lara Weinstein, MD, MPH, DrPH
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. The regulated amount of medication provided in MAT addresses opioid withdrawal symptoms. In this recorded webinar, we examine the MAT process in an urban setting as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by clinicians who provide MAT to their clients.
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able to:

• list and describe the components of low-threshold MAT for vulnerable populations;
• discuss the challenges of MAT implementation in an urban area; and
• describe three facilitators of successful implementation of MAT in an urban clinic.

Medication Assisted Treatment in a Rural Clinic: Challenges and Opportunities, Durand Warren, MBA, LPC and Bradley Barnett, MEd, LPC
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. The regulated amount of medication provided in MAT addresses opioid withdrawal symptoms. In this recorded webinar, we examine the MAT process in a rural setting as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by clinicians who provide MAT to their clients.
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able to:

• list and describe the components of MAT;
• discuss the challenges of MAT implementation in a rural area; and
• describe three facilitators of successful implementation of MAT in a rural clinic.

Community Intervention: Syringe Services Program and Employing People Who Use Drugs, Sarah Danforth
It is important that society recognizes the needs, rights, and perspectives of people who use drugs. In this recorded webinar, we examine harm reduction in a workplace environment and explore syringe service programs.
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able to:

• outline the process for applying harm reduction philosophy to workplace environment;
• describe the evidence base for syringe service programs;
• summarize the evidence base for employing people who use drugs; and
• articulate the needs, rights, and perspectives of people who use drugs.

Legal Intervention: Using the Judicial System to Impact Mortality and Morbidity Rates for Opioid Misuse, Elizabeth Van Nostrand, JD
Adults incarcerated following arrest for drug misuse are a vulnerable population. Historically, the role of courts in these cases is to impose sanctions and protect society from future harm. Problem solving courts are public health interventions that refer arrested individuals to treatment. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health are studying specific characteristics of individual problem solving court policies, procedures, and practices and their impact on morbidity and mortality rates.
At the conclusion of this recorded webinar, participants will be able to:

• describe the process for acceptance into a problem solving court program;
• identify three interventions problem solving courts typically provide to individuals arrested for drug misuse or for crimes associated with drug misuse; and
• compare recidivism rates for individuals sentenced to traditional correctional facilities and those who are deferred to problem solving courts.

Target Audience
This recorded webinar series is appropriate for physicians, nurses, social workers, case managers, public health practitioners, and other health professionals who would benefit from the information.
Technology Requirements
 A computer with high-speed internet is required.

Creation Date
These trainings were recorded in summer 2020.
For more information about this course or assistance with registration, contact maaetc@pitt.edu.