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COVID-19 Information and Resources
DEA Providing Prescribing Flexibility
The Drug Enforcment Agency (DEA) has partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to ensure authorized practitioners may admit and treat new patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In light of the extraordinary circumstances presented by the COVID-19 public health emergency, and being mindful of the exemption issued by SAMHSA, DEA likewise advises that, only for the duration of the public health emergency (unless DEA specifies an earlier date), OTPs should feel free to dispense, and DATA-waived practitioners should feel free to prescribe, buprenorphine to new patients with OUD for maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment following an evaluation via telephone voice calls, without first performing an in-person or telemedicine evaluation. [Read full DEA letter]
PCSS Creates Special COVID-19 Resource Page
PCSS has created a special resource page regarding the COVID-19 epidemic that may be useful for your practice. We will be adding national and state resources on a regular basis, so check back to see what else is available to you as we work together during this trying time. If you have a good resource that we do not have listed, please feel free to share with us: pcss@aaap.org.

PCSS is also offering a series of COVID-19-related Clinical Roundtables in addition to its regularly scheduled roundtables. For a list of all trainings and roundtable discussions, view the PCSS calendar. To see only COVID-19-related roundtable discussions view our website here.
 
PCSS staff are all working remotely, and our hope is to have a seamless transition that will not affect how we serve you and provide online trainings. Our priority is to make certain everyone is safe and healthy while we continue to provide you with the information you need on a timely basis. 
PCSS Trainings
Webinar Today:

Telemedicine-Delivered Buprenorphine
Treatment in the Age of COVID-19
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2020

Presenters: Allison Lin, MD, MS, University of Michigan, VA at Ann Arbor; David Moore, MD, PhD, Yale University

Webinar description: There are not enough treatment providers to meet the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic and with social distancing, it is critical to minimize the number of face-to-face contacts at the same time as continuing critical treatment for our patients with OUD. Telemedicine can increase access to patients who require ongoing substance use disorder treatment ... [More information]
Did you miss this live NACHC webinar from March 26?

Taking Care of the Compassionate Care Team: Conversations about Moral Distress and Moral Injury
Primary care teams experience significant stress when they are not able to provide the care to patients as they believe they should. Moral distress, knowing the right thing to do but not being able to do it, contributes to burnout, now estimated to affect between one-third to one-half of physicians and nurses in the U.S. Members of primary care teams are in the best position to recognize early signs and symptoms of moral distress in each other...
PCSS Partner News
American Society of Addiction Medicine
ASAM Releases Updated Guideline for Treating OUD
The American Academy of Addiction Medicine has updated its National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder, revising 35 existing recommendations and adding 13 new recommendations.

Caring for Patiens During the COVID-19 Task Force
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), convened the Caring for Patients During the COVID-19 (CPDC) Task Force. The Task Force includes a national panel of experts who are recognized in the field of addiction medicine. They are rapidly producing comprehensive resources tailored to addiction medicine treatment within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the urgency of the situation, these resources are being in real-time as they are developed. Current guidance, available on the ASAM COVID-19 webpage, addresses infection mitigation, telehealth, access to buprenorphine, drug testing protocols, and virtual support groups. The site also includes a compendium of federal and state guidance of relevance to addiction treatment. 
News and Publications


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Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI081968 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.