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Bringing DC healthcare providers the latest news, events, and resources to improve care for patients with substance use disorders and chronic pain management.

October 2024

Dear DACS Provider,

Autumn is here, and with its arrival comes plenty of opportunities to support providers in our community.

October is Substance Use Prevention Month, a nationwide recognition of the role of prevention strategies in preventing first-time substance use, halting the progression of substance use and reducing harms associated with substance use. This month, DACS joins countless organizations and individuals honoring prevention specialists who work in our communities to educate and empower others, foster supportive environments and combat harmful stigma. Our team is comprised of prevention specialists who accomplish these aims through consultation with healthcare providers, targeted outreach campaigns and collaboration with local partners. Learn more about our prevention efforts – and gain clinical insight on strengthening protective factors and reducing risk factors – by visiting our website or reaching out to DACS at 1-855-337-DACS (3227).

When it comes to substance use prevention, youth and adolescents are a crucial population to support. DACS has developed an Adolescents and Substance Use Fact Sheet to equip healthcare providers with essential information to understand substance use trends among adolescents, implement effective prevention strategies, identify risk factors and foster healthy environments.

October also marks American Pharmacists Month. These healthcare professionals play a crucial part in the prevention and reduction of drug overdoses as well as expanding access to evidence-based treatment methods. Just in time for American Pharmacists Month, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the National Community Pharmacists Association will begin distributing the Pharm acy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (PhARM-OUD) Guid eline to the 60,000 community pharmacists nationwide. Tailored to pharmacists and designed to educate them about the importance of providing access to buprenorphine, the practice guideline is the first of its kind. By utilizing this important resource, pharmacists can gain assistance navigating the complex regulatory and clinical barriers to prescribing buprenorphine.

Explore this newsletter and the tools available on the DACS Website for additional information about provider education and treatment resources.

Sincerely,

The DACS Team

Education

Upcoming DACS Trainings

DACS Webinar

Improving the Treatment of OUD for Youth

Friday, October 25th |11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Presented by Dr. Marc Fishman, MD

Additional Trainings of Interest

Grayken Center for Addiction Training & TA

Trans and Gender Diverse Folks and Substance Use Treatment: Foundations

Thursday, October 17 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

All Rise & American Society of Addiction Medicine

Integrating Addiction Medicine With Treatment Courts

Wednesday, October 30 | 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, researchers evaluated nationwide trends in buprenorphine initiation in emergency department (ED) settings. In doing so, they also analyzed the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with its initiation. By reviewing data available from research system Epic Cosmos, accounting for 1100 hospitals and 7.2 billion encounters, researchers found that ED encounters involving buprenorphine increased to 27.3% of opioid-related encounters in 2022 from 2.75% in 2013. Barriers to access still exist, however, as buprenorphine was prescribed in 5.7% of opioid-related ED encounters between 2019 and 2022, a lower rate than that of one-time administration (14.8%). This study also found that racial and gender disparities in buprenorphine administration, with decreased initiation associated with the female sex.

Association of Daily Doses of Buprenorphine With Urgent Health Care Utilization

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between higher doses of buprenorphine (above 16mg and 24mg) and subsequent emergency department or inpatient service use among patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD). By reviewing insurance claims data from over 35,000 individuals diagnosed with OUD and who began receiving buprenorphine treatment between 2016 and 2021, researchers found that those receiving a buprenorphine dosage exceeding the recommended daily dose of 16mg may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health.

Telemedicine for Initiation of Alcohol Use Disorder Medications

A case-control study examined telemedicine-based initiation of medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) and compared characteristics of U.S. adults who initiate through telemedicine v. in-person means. Findings suggest that despite the majority of MAUD initiations occurring in-person, telemedicine can play an important role in the initiation of efficacious medications. In addition, greater access to telemedicine in higher-income locales points to concerns about how the "digital divide" impedes access to care.

Alcohol habits and alcohol-related health conditions of self-defined lifetime abstainers and never binge drinkers

In this survey-based study out of Denmark, researchers sought to investigate the consistency of self-reported rates of lifetime abstention from alcohol and never-binge drinking. Part of their aim was to validate prior research showing that using lifetime abstainers as a reference group to examine associations between alcohol use and health-related consequences has disadvantages. By drawing from two waves of survey collection, and further linking the findings to morbidity data in a national patient register, the research reaffirmed self-reported lifetime abstainers to be an unreliable reference group and indicated a non-negligible proportion of them had been diagnosed with an alcohol-related health condition.

Holidays and Observances

Holidays

DACS Phone Line Will Be Closed

November 5 – Election Day

November 11 – Veterans Day

November 28 – Thanksgiving

November 29 – Native American Heritage Day

October Observances

Substance Use Prevention Month

American Pharmacists Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

National Latino Physician Day October 1

National Midwifery Week October 6 – 12

Physician Associate Week

October 6 – 12

World Mental Health Day October 10

National Pharmacy Week October 20 – 26

National Addiction Treatment Week

October 21 – 24

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

October 26

Relevant Resources

DACS Fact Sheet: Adolescents and Substance Use

Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Disorders in Pregnant and Postpartum Patients

A screening and resource guide for healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers in the District of Columbia, prepared by the MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare.

Opioid Use Disorder During and After Pregnancy

A patient resource guide on tips for a Healthy Pregnancy.

Care for the Caregiver

A guide for caregivers of pregnant and postpartum patients with opioid, stimulant, and other substance use disorders.

Buprenorphine Drug Assistance Program (BUP-DAP)

Designed to increase access to drugs used primarily in medication-assisted substance misuse treatment (Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, Suboxone, and Naloxone). When presented to participating pharmacies, it can cover medicine costs, co-pays, and pharmacy dispensing fees. Recipients will need to present a government issued photo ID.

Pocket Guides for Safe Opioid Prescribing

Contains a number of resources to providers, including: CDC guidelines for safe opioid prescribing, a Morphine Milligram Equivalent (MME) conversion chart, a checklist for prescribing opioids for chronic pain, medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), and additional resources for providers and patients.

DC Center for Rational Prescribing (DCRx)

This learning portal provides information about medications and other therapeutic options. The DC Department of Health provides non-commercial, independent continuing education courses, free to ALL DC licensed healthcare professionals.

The DC Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (DC PDMP)

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) aims to improve the District’s ability to identify and reduce diversion of prescription drugs in an efficient and cost effective manner that will not impede the appropriate medical utilization of controlled substances.

Live.Long.DC

A coordinated multi-stakeholder approach to comprehensively address the opioid epidemic by sharing data, discussing initiatives and best practices, and identifying common approaches. The initiative is led by the DC Department of Behavioral Health with a goal of reducing opioid use, misuse, and opioid-related deaths in DC. For more information about Live.Long.DC strategies and initiatives, visit: https://livelong.dc.gov/

1-866-337-DACS (3227) | www.districtdacs.org | dacs@som.umaryland.edu