September, 2019
Addressing Opioid Misuse Through Telehealth
One of the most frequent challenges in addressing opioid misuse in Indian Country is the challenge of access to providers and specialist in the more rural areas. To address this, many healthcare systems have turned to telehealth. Telehealth models of healthcare have allowed both patients and providers to virtually connect with other providers and specialists from anywhere across Indian Country, helping them access the resources and care they need.

Check out the resources below to learn more about telehealth and visit the Indian Country ECHO's Substance Use Disorder: Community Resources webpage to view past newsletters!
Promising Practices in Indian Country
ECHO , (Extension for Community Health Outcomes), is an innovative way to address patient barriers to services and specialist throughout Indian Country. ECHO holds virtual clinics on a variety of topics that include Substance Use Disorder (SUD) . These one-hour, virtual clinics give providers an opportunity to present patient cases to a panel of SUD specialists and peers and receive expert recommendations. In addition, every clinic includes the opportunity to to earn CEU's by attending the didactic presentation and to become a member of a virtual learning community.

To learn more about Indian Country ECHO's work with SUD, attend a clinic, or view upcoming in-person trainings, click the above image above or visit the Indian Country ECHO - Substance Use Disorder webpage to learn more.
Telehealth has been embraced as an innovative way to connect patients with providers and specialist in the more rural areas of Indian Country. Where patients had previously faced challenges due geographic location or provider shortages, they are now able to virtually connect with a provider/ specialist from the comfort of their own home or community. As telehealth appointments are still a relatively new service for many patients, First Nations Health Authority's (FNHA) Telehealth Fact Sheet addresses some of the more common patient concerns and questions before attending their first appointment.

To learn more about FNHA's work with telehealth click the above image to read the Telehealth Fact Sheet or visit the First Nations Health Authority - Telehealth webpage.
Upcoming Events & Educational Opportunities
September:















October:







Join the Substance Use Disorder ECHO clinic , held the 1 st & 3 rd Thursday of every month at 11am PST. The 1 hour clinics include the opportunity to present cases, receive recommendations & become part of a learning community. Visit the teleECHO Clinic website to learn more.
To submit an article for the October newsletter or share upcoming events & educational opportunities, email [email protected] with the subject line "Opioid Response Newsletter" by September 15 th .