UNE holds workshop on opioid use disorder and medication assisted treatment

On Saturday, October 28, 2017, the University of New England Center for Excellence in Health Innovation hosted an opioid use disorder (OUD) and medication assisted treatment (MAT) Workshop at UNE’s Innovation Hall.

More than 150 people registered, and attendees included UNE students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Pharmacy, Westbrook College of Health Professions and College of Dental Medicine, as well as UNE faculty and clinicians from the community. Experts led presentations and discussions on MAT; screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT); prescribing laws; public health impact; and stigma.

“As we face a deadly epidemic of opioid addiction, workshops like this are critical to assuring the clinicians of tomorrow as well as today are able to work together with clinicians from other professions and patients to successfully screen people for addiction, help people get into treatment, and keep them in recovery,” said Dora Anne Mills, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Excellence in Health Innovation.

In 2016, 313 Mainers died of an opioid-related overdose, which represents 83 percent of all drug-related deaths in the State. Currently, the demand for MAT in the state still outpaces the supply, especially among those who lack health insurance or live in health professional shortage areas. To address the critical need for health professions education around OUD and MAT, the Center for Excellence in Health Innovation received $80,000 in supplemental funding from its federal Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) grant to further increase education around MAT in primary care. The Center for Excellence in Health Innovation plans to hold lunch and learn programs and future events for faculty and students who are looking to learn more about OUD and specifically MAT.

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions