In this session, experts from DC Health, the Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will discuss opioid trends, testing, and composition in the District. The speakers will estimate the scope of the District’s opioid epidemic evidenced by data on overdoses, hospital transports, Narcan administration, and deaths, recognize key demographics of individuals who have overdosed on opioids, describe trends in opioid composition, including fentanyl levels, and outline methods the District uses for overdose and opioid surveillance.
Presenters: Kenan Zamore, MPH, Senior Research Epidemiologist, District of Columbia Department of Health; Luke Short, PhD, Chemistry Section Chief, DC Public Health Laboratory, Department of Forensic Sciences; and Stephen Raso, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief Toxicologist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Stigma of people with substance use disorder is widespread and directly results in numerous barriers that result in less than 20% of people with addiction being able to access treatment. This panel discussion will provide a deep dive into stigma, address how it permeates into healthcare, and discuss how to change minds and organizational culture in a quest to improve care.
Moderator: Richard Bottner, DHA, PA-C, Director, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Colorado Hospital Association
Panelists: William Strudwick, MD, Chief Medical Officer, United Medical Center; Drema Ogletree, CPRS, Peer Recovery Support Specialist, Psychiatric Institute of Washington; William Ellis, CPRS, CAC, Outreach Coach, Howard University Hospital; and Christian Carrozzo, PhD(c), Educator, John J. Lynch, MD Center for Ethics, MedStar Health
Stigma suffocates discussion, impedes action, and causes pain. With alcohol and drug use, it’s never just one person that is impacted. This session will discuss giving an identity to the faces of all those affected – the victims, witnesses and survivors through the medium of art.
Presenter: William Stoehr, Artist, Lecturer, Anti-Stigma Advocate
This session will discuss strategies for incorporating harm reduction principles and tools into hospital-based care, address why harm reduction is critical for hospital settings in particular, and share how experts in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Delaware have successfully integrated harm reduction into hospital practice and policy.
Moderator: Sari Frankel, Project Monitor/Naloxone Coordinator, DC Department of Behavioral Health
Panelists: Amanda Latimore, PhD, Director, Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (CARES), American Institutes for Research (AIR); Megan Reed, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Center for Connected Care and the Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University; and Lynn Morrison, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Brandywine Counseling & Community Services, Inc.
Special Presentation by Shana Palmieri, Co-Founder & CCO, XFERALL
Shana knows first-hand the pressures of caring for patients who are facing a crisis. In her previous role as a psychiatric social worker in an ED, she and her team spent hours on the phone calling behavioral health hospitals and outpatient facilities to determine availability and open beds. XFERALL’s mission is to drastically save time for clinical staff and reduce the amount of time patients spend in EDs waiting for a transfer to the most appropriate care center by applying innovative technology solutions.
This session will highlight experts from three of DC’s specialty hospitals who have experience working with patients with unique circumstances surrounding their care for substance use: children, patients undergoing long-term rehabilitation, and veterans. Learn innovative strategies from their work with key populations that can apply to all patients, as well as their ideas for improving access and availability of resources for populations often left on the margins of substance use care.
Moderator: Karly Funk, MSN, RN, Behavioral Health Nurse Manager, The George Washington University Hospital
Presenters: Meghan Schott, DO, Medical Director, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Children’s National Hospital; Friedhelm Sandbrink, MD, Director Pain Management, Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and Samuel Gordon, PhD, Assistant Director of Psychology, MedStar National Rehabilitation Network
6.0 CE credits available to physicians, nursing, pharmacy and social workers.
This activity is sponsored by the State Opioid Response Grant through the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health.
