Opioid Prevention and Naloxone Intervention for Healthcare Professionals

This training will address how primary care providers and health care professionals can use evidence-based substance abuse prevention strategies to increase levels of knowledge and awareness to effectively bridge the gap between opioid misuse prevention and treatment. The training will also address the opioid epidemic on a national and state level. Some topics will include opioid drugs and new synthetics, withdrawal and substance use disorders to include information on signs of an overdose, and the Naloxone intervention, to name a few. In addition to the Strategic Opioid Response (SOR) Initiative, The Council On Substance Abuse-NCADD (COSA-NCADD) is also working through the Alabama Opioid Assistance Project (AOA) to bring awareness, education and resources to help reduce opioid related deaths throughout the state of Alabama.

Objectives:

• Gain an overview of the current opioid crisis on a national and state level

• Identify what opioids are, how they work in the body, and how physiological addiction occurs

• Discuss implications of opioid use and misuse in pregnant women and misuse in adolescents

• Identify the signs of opioid overdose and withdrawal, how Naloxone is administered and how it works to increase survival of an opioid overdose victim.

• Discuss screening tools to help identify possible opioid use and abuse.

4 -hour CEUs granted for professional social workers and contact hours can be requested.

This Opioid Prevention training is in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Mental Health through funding from the State Opioid Response federal grant.