The presentation will provide an in-depth look at opioid-related morbidity and mortality in Washington, DC, comparing local data to national trends and peer cities. Zamore will explore the composition of the city’s drug supply, including fentanyl and other adulterants, and present stratified overdose data by age, gender, housing status, and race. The session will estimate the scope of the opioid crisis using data on overdoses, hospital transports, naloxone administration, and fatalities. It will also highlight how surveillance data informs real-time outreach and prevention services, and provide an overview of current efforts to evaluate and strengthen the District’s response to the opioid epidemic.
Kenan Zamore, MPH
Mr. Zamore is an epidemiologist focused on population-level health dynamics. His interests include injury epidemiology, behavioral health/SUDs, health disparities, and informatics. Kenan is focused on applying public health surveillance techniques to non-traditional public health problems (most notably behavioral health, violence prevention, and substance misuse disorders) and facilitating the effective dissemination of timely and reliable surveillance data to inform public policy and intervention efforts, and to attack barriers to the routine exchange of vital data. As part of his work at DC Health, he serves as a vital linkage between public safety and public health. He routinely uses health care data to track outcomes related to behavioral and mental health. He is the chair of the District’s fatality review board and principal investigator for overdose surveillance.
Successfully initiating buprenorphine treatment requires understanding both its pharmacological mechanisms and the collaborative care approaches that optimize patient outcomes. This presentation provides clinicians and peer navigators with evidence-based strategies for buprenorphine induction, grounded in pharmacological principles and delivered through patient-centered, team-based care. Participants will explore the pharmacological basis for buprenorphine’s unique stabilizing effects, including its partial opioid agonist properties, ceiling effect for respiratory depression, and long half-life that supports sustained recovery. Understanding these mechanisms enables clinical providers and peer navigators to educate patients effectively and address common concerns about MOUD. The session covers pre-treatment assessment protocols and collaborative care planning that leverages clinical expertise alongside peer navigator engagement strategies. Key topics include evidence-based treatment methods, managing precipitated withdrawal through integrated clinical and peer support interventions, and addressing barriers such as stigma and treatment hesitancy.
Josh Luftig, PA-C
Josh Luftig has more than 25 years of experience in emergency medicine, is a co-founder of Bridge and CA Bridge, and serves as director of harm reduction and national implementation leader. He is a nationally recognized expert in medication for addiction treatment (MAT), naloxone distribution, and harm reduction, and is a regular speaker at national conferences. Josh is a co-creator of the CA Bridge Model for EDs and hospitals: rapid initiation of evidence-based addiction treatment paired with peer navigation. Since the program’s launch in 2018, Josh has co-led a 45-fold program expansion, growing from a six-hospital pilot to more than 270 hospitals as of 2023, covering nearly all hospitals in California; and now expanding to 15 states. He co-established one of the nation’s largest ED-based MAT initiation programs at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA, and co-developed a novel high-dose rapid buprenorphine induction protocol that was published in JAMA and widely adopted as a standard for EDs. Josh created one of the first high-volume, low-threshold ED-based naloxone distribution programs, resulting in a 65-fold increase in the naloxone provisioning rate. Under his leadership, the statewide naloxone program saw a 162-fold expansion, from just one hospital in 2019 to 199 hospitals in 2023. As of Q2 2024, this initiative has provided more than 600K doses of naloxone to EDs for free distribution, making it the largest ED-based distribution project in the country.
This session will define and outline options for treating patients with opioid and alcohol use disorders with long-acting injections. Dr. Sindass will review options and how to transition and discontinue long-acting injection versions for medication treatment, side effects, and emergent situations to inform patients to prevent issues in starting these medications and continuing them in a safe manner.
Lisa Boynes Sindass, MD
Dr. Lisa Boynes Sindass is a licensed physician with more than 25 years of experience, currently serving as the owner and lead provider of a thriving private pediatric practice in Greenbelt, Maryland. Since 2016, she has expanded her focus to addiction medicine by becoming part of the management and development of the Medical Home Development Group as vice president of operations and quality management. Responding to the alarming rise in adolescent substance use disorders, Dr. Sindass became a dedicated addiction provider in 2022 and has been waivered to treat SUD patients since 2017. A graduate of Meharry Medical College, with pediatric training at Howard University Hospital, Dr. Sindass integrates holistic wellness into clinical care. She is a certified 200-hour yoga instructor and has introduced a mindfulness program within the Medical Home Development Group’s outpatient recovery services.
This session will focus on the prevalence of opioid use disorder in adolescents and discuss evidence-based treatment options with a focus on the emerging role of extended-release buprenorphine as a promising option to improve access, adherence, and outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Jean Fletcher, MSN, PMHNP-BC, CPNP
Jean Fletcher is a dually certified pediatric and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, with more than 30 years of nursing expertise. A graduate of Hampton University and The Catholic University of America, she further specialized at The George Washington University. Her distinguished career includes serving as a captain in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and more than 20 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s National, where she focused on adolescent health care. Currently at the Addiction Clinic at Children’s National, Jean also serves as a mentor to NP students and nurses, embodying her motto: Your health is your wealth.
American University Washington College of Law
4300 Nebraska Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
This activity is sponsored by the State Opioid Response Grant through the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health.
