Removing barriers to SUD treatment
More than 46 million, or 16.5%, of Americans meet the criteria for having substance use disorder, yet 94% receive no treatment, according to a 2021 study.
The Sunflower Foundation’s Kansas Fights Addiction program awarded the KU School of Medicine-Wichita’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Population Health a grant to improve access to SUD care in Sedgwick County. The project, known as Preparing Physicians to Treat Addiction, is designed to understand barriers and facilitators for physicians to provide care to those with SUD.
Staff from the Department of Population Health completed an extensive academic literature review, conducted 26 interviews with MSSC physicians, residents and medical students, and administered a survey of MSSC members, residents and medical students to assess perceived barriers and ways to address those barriers.
The study identified a lack of knowledge of SUD resources in our community. To address this, the project team, in collaboration with MSSC and many stakeholders, developed the Be the Light campaign. This campaign includes a host of resources including a dedicated website (kumc.edu/ppta) where physicians can access evidence-based screening tools, a directory of local SUD treatment resources, medication-assisted treatment quick-start guides, motivational interviewing tools, DEA trainings and much more. Some of these resources were mailed recently to MSSC members with information on a free two-credit hour DEA-eligible training on Nov. 12.
The project also included funds to begin the process for an Addiction Medicine Fellowship through the KUSM-W Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The department anticipates that the fellowship will be fully accredited by July 2025. Physicians interested in the Addiction Medicine Fellowship can reach out to Shelly Small at ssmall2@kumc.edu for more information.
DEA-eligible SUD training
KUSM-W is offering a free, two-hour training for healthcare providers on substance use disorder and clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescribing and pain management. The DEA-eligible training, which includes a meal, is 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 12 in the Sunflower Room at KUSM-W, 1010 N. Kansas. Register at tinyurl.com/bethelightppta.