Opioid Project Newsletter December 2019

DPHHS OD2A Mini-Grants Due This Wednesday 12/18

Thank you to each of you who are preparing applications for the DPHHS mini-grant. If you need help, or need the small 3 page application resent, please get in touch. We look forward to seeing these funds become available for the work you are doing!

Sequence of 9 Social Media Posts Now Available

One of the highest requested items at our kick-off meeting in Billings was for social media posts regarding opioid misuse in Montana. We have put together a series of 8 posts designed to be rolled out in the order #1-8. These posts can be utilized at your discretion on your Facebook fan pages, Instagram or Twitter accounts. Wendy is available to create custom graphics as well.

Please take a look through the series and let us know what you think or if you have any questions.

Seeing Montana’s Naloxone Efforts in Motion

In our last newsletter we shared the laws that the State of Montana adopted this year in order for pharmacists to dispense Naloxone (brand name Narcan®), the drug used to revive a person overdosing from opioids. We can see Walgreens, CVS, Albertson’s (Osco), and others providing information and participating in the distribution of Naloxone. We hope this new availability is being offered in each of your communities.

In the News

Federal Opioid Workforce Act Proposed

On November 21st, ASAM, as well as the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), and the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine (ACAAM), released a statement applauding the introduction of the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (S. 2892) by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME). The bill would increase the number of graduate medical education (GME) slots related to addiction psychiatry, addiction medicine, and pain medicine by 1,000 over a five-year period.

Pediatricians First Responders for Preventing Substance Use

Professional associations strongly encourage screening in pediatric settings but evaluation studies are also needed

Promoting behavioral health has been increasingly seen as a responsibility of pediatricians. Because substance use is typically initiated during adolescence, this age group is a particularly important prevention target (Miech et al., 2016). Not only are young people using alcohol and marijuana, but in fact, almost 900,000 adolescents reported misusing opioids in the past year in 2017 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2018)…read full article

Please Join Us at these Upcoming Events:

State Opioid Strategic Task Force Meeting

Now you can join virtually!! The next task force meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 29th, 2020, 10am-3pm in the Capitol Room of the Delta Marriott.

You are invited to attend in Helena, or via web conference!

If you are interested in attending, let Wendy know and she will send a calendar invite.