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New MAT Waiver Course for Medical Students Launched
Medical students who wish to apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder can take the course now and apply for their waiver when they obtain their full DEA license. Note: If you have already taken the 8-hour course, you do not have to take this one.

Access to treatment for OUD is critical to fighting the epidemic that plagues our country. According to the American Academy of Medical Colleges (AAMC), of the 21.2 million Americans that have a substance use disorder only 11% of those patients received treatment in 2018.2 Treating OUD can be difficult, yet Medication for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD) also known as Medication-Assisted Recovery (MAR) normalizes brain function and enables people to return to their regular lives. Expanding access to this life-saving treatment requires that prescribers acquire a DEA X Waiver through a specialized training.To address this, PCSS, in coordination with NC Governor's Institute, created a medical student version of the MAT waiver course that all schools can use at no cost.
COVID-19 Resources and Trainings
Upcoming Special Covid-19
Clinical Roundtables
Find more COVID-19 Resources here .
PCSS Trainings
American Society for Pain Management Nursing Webinar

Managing Pain in the Setting of Co-morbid
Substance Use Disorder
Date: May 13, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Presenter: Kathleen Broglio, DNP, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CPE, FPCN, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nurse Practitioner in Palliative Medicine, and a Scholar at the Collaboratory for Implementation Sciences at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

About the webinar:The purpose of this session is to provide guidance to improve clinical management of acute and chronic pain in individuals with substance use disorder.

Clinicians are challenged daily with managing both acute and chronic pain in individuals with substance use disorder. The presenters will describe the challenges and opportunities to manage pain in this population both in the acute care environment and in the ambulatory environment.  [Read more]
The Following Webinar Recordings are Now Available:

Recovery Oriented Systems of Care 101 for Prescribers (National Council for Behaviral Health webinar from March 31))

OUD Patient Withdrawal Management and Initiating Relapse Prevention with XR-naltrexone (American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry webinar from March 31)
PCSS Partner News
American Academy of Pain Medicine Webinar
Pain Management Best Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Health Crises: A Discussion of the New Guidelines
Release date: April 13, 2020, valid through Dec. 31, 2020

Target Audience: This activity was developed to meet the needs of clinicians treating patients in pain while navigating the COVID-19 healthcare crisis.

Webinar Description:The pandemic of COVID-19 infections is causing substantial disruptions to daily life around the world and pain practitioners across the globe are affected by these disruptions while care for their patients with chronic pain.

Pain is inherently subjective, and there is enormous variation in how patients react to pain and how it is treated, even between physicians who practice the same subspecialty. Patients with the same pathology can respond dramatically differently to treatment and react in very different ways to having anticipated treatment withheld including becoming socially withdrawn, functionally disabled, and suicidal. Large variations in practices can have long-standing consequences, such that practices that strictly interpret local recommendations to limit non-essential care to prevent disease spread can lose patients to less scrupulous practices that ignore regional ordinances intended to safeguard the community. For these reasons, there is a strong need for national guidance on pain management practices during epidemics.

In partnership with the journal Pain Medicine, this session will discuss new guidelines on interventional pain management in the wake of the COVID-19 healthcare crisis.
American Medical Association
AMA Urges States to Adopt New Maine
Needle and Syringe Exchange Services Policy
CHICAGO – A recent Executive Order issued by Maine Governor Janet Mills removed restrictions in the state on sterile needle and exchange services to help reduce harms among people who inject drugs and protect against the spread of infectious disease. Under Executive Order 27, the state will no longer require during the national COVID-19 emergency a 1:1 exchange—allowing individuals to receive multiple sterile needles and exchanges.

“The AMA encourages all states to consider adopting the Maine Executive Order to modify restrictive laws and regulations concerning the sale and possession of needles and syringes to maximize the availability of sterile syringes and needles,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “Sterile needle and syringe exchange is a proven harm reduction strategy. We commend Governor Mills for her action.”  [Read more]
Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network
Emerging Issues Around COVID-19 and Social Determinants of Health for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Workforces
The Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, and the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network are facilitating a FREE, national online discussion series and resource sharing opportunity for the substance use prevention, treatment and recovery workforces focused on emerging issues around social determinants of health and COVID-19.

This series of discussions begins Wednesday, April 22. More information and full schedule of sessions.
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.