Name
E29 - Our Role in Combating the Opioid Crisis: Lessons from the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, (1.50 CEs)
Date & Time
Friday, August 18, 2017, 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Steven Defossez
Description
 
Why is the opioid crisis so hard to combat? Why do we in the medical community have to “own it?” What’s the deal with “safe injection facilities?” and

What can you do to help?

The alarmingly high death rate from the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts has become our state’s number one public health crisis. Learn what Massachusetts has been doing to combat both the spigot problem and the treatment challenges of the opioid epidemic. The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association has been leading the way for three years now, collaborating the Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachusetts state government and many other partners. During this session, we will discuss the root causes of our current dire predicament; the first step in getting out of a hole is to stop digging. Next we will discuss addiction physiology, opioid substance use disorder treatment and concrete best practices, tools and guidelines which attendees can share with their own colleagues back home. Let’s make a difference together.

Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
  • Acknowledge and directly access concrete best practices, tools and guidelines which they can then share with their colleagues at their own institutions.
  • Understand the genesis of the opioid crisis in the United States, addiction physiology / treatment and our role in combatting this public health scourge.
  • Understand how to be better positioned to bring about the urgent cultural change required to succeed.