MASSACHUSETTS OPIOID SCREENING & AWARENESS DAY
Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day
September 22, 2020
A Virtual Event: Town Hall, Online Screening & Referral
Directors: Douglas Jacobs, M.D. & Scott Weiner, M.D., M.P.H.
Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day was kicked off with a virtual town hall event, where participants learned from experts about opioid misuse and treatment, and were able to take a free, anonymous, online screening for themselves or a loved one. Those who scored positive on the screening or were concerned about their loved ones could contact one of the facilities on this list or the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline for evaluation, treatment, and/or support. A variety of educational resources targeted to both clinicians and the general public were also made available throughout this website.
Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day was a collaboration between Fighting Opioid Misuse, the Brigham Comprehensive Opioid Response and Education (B-CORE) Program, and McLean Hospital.
SCHEDULE FOR TOWN HALL
9-11 AM, EST
9:00am-9:30am – Introduction
Welcome Remarks
STATE REPRESENTATIVE JON SANTIAGO, M.D., M.P.H.
Massachusetts State Representative for the 9th Suffolk District (Boston)
STATE SENATOR JULIAN CYR
Massachusetts State Senator representing Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket
DAVID A. ROSMAN, M.D., M.B.A.
President, Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS)
MAYOR MARTIN J. WALSH
Mayor of Boston
Introduction to the Opioid Problem in Massachusetts
SCOTT G. WEINER, M.D., M.P.H.
Co-Director, Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day
Director, Brigham B-CORE Program
Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
9:30am-10:00am – Session 1:
Inequities in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment
SARAH WAKEMAN, M.D.
Medical Director, Substance Use Disorders Initiative at Mass General Hospital
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Buprenorphine Treatment and Experience of a Patient in Recovery
CLAUDIA RODRIGUEZ, M.D. and PATIENT WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE
Director of Outpatient Addiction Recovery Program, Instructor in Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
10:00am-10:30am – Session 2:
Dual Diagnosis – SUD with Concurrent Psychiatric Illness
ROGER WEISS, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Division of Alcohol, Drugs, & Addiction, McLean Hospital
Treatment with Methadone
JAN KAUFFMAN, R.N., M.P.H., L.A.D.C.-1
Vice President, Addiction Treatment Services, North Charles Foundation
Director of Addictions Consultation, Cambridge Health Alliance
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
10:30am-11:00am – Session 3:
The Role of Recovery Coaches in Treating SUD
EDDIE CASADO, C.A.R.C.
Recovery Coach, Mass General Brigham, Population Health
Opioid Use Disorder and Veterans
NITIGNA DESAI, M.D.
Chief of Psychiatry and Chief of Substance Abuse Service Line, VA Bedford Healthcare
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University Medical School and UMass Medical School
How to Take a Screening for Opioid Use Disorder
DOUGLAS G. JACOBS, M.D.
Co-Director, Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day
Medical Director and Founder, Fighting Opioid Misuse
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Part-time, Harvard Medical School
GOALS OF MASSACHUSETTS OPIOID SCREENING AND AWARENESS DAY
- To offer free, anonymous, interactive, online screenings for opioid misuse to individuals and/or loved ones.
- To educate community members on the signs, symptoms, facts, and dangers of opioid misuse and disorder so the disorder is better recognized, treatment options become more visible, and stigma is reduced.
- To give participants and their loved ones a clear picture of whether the behaviors and symptoms that they or their loved ones have been exhibiting may be indicative of opioid misuse/disorder. The free, anonymous online screenings provide a quick, simple, and easy way to do this.
- To connect at-risk participants with quality treatment options in their local community.
WHY SCREEN?
Every day, 5 people in Massachusetts die of opioid overdoses. A staggering 275,000 citizens of the Commonwealth struggle with Opioid Use Disorder at any given time.
Currently, only 10% of individuals with Opioid Use Disorders present for treatment.
Massachusetts Opioid Screening & Awareness Day aims to address this glaringly low treatment rate by increasing awareness of current Massachusetts treatment resources.
SCREENING TOOL
The opioid screening tool that will be used has been adapted from the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The screening tool can be used by both individuals and concerned loved ones. It can be accessed here on this website.
Participants can self-administer the screening tool on a computer, tablet, or mobile device in the privacy of their home. All screenings are free and anonymous.
It is recommended that persons who are identified as at-risk either contact the facility where they are currently receiving their healthcare, any of the facilities on this list, or the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline (1-800-327-5050) for consultation and referral to an appropriate treatment resource.
Important Reminders
SCREENINGS ARE EDUCATIONAL: It is important to emphasize that Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day is a public education program and that screenings are informational, not diagnostic. A complete substance abuse evaluation will be needed after screening to make an actual diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. Furthermore, even if the score on the online screening tool places a person or their loved one in the low-risk range, persons with concerns about opioid use or health-related problems should contact their health care provider for a complete evaluation.
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