Information Resources for Healthcare Workforce

Outlines federal drug policy priorities and promotes short and long-term solutions to reduce drug use, overdose, and other related harms in the U.S. Priorities include: expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder and other evidence-based treatment; advancing racial equity in drug policy; enhancing harm reduction efforts; supporting youth substance use prevention; reducing the supply of illicit substances; advancing recovery-ready workplaces; and expanding addiction workforce and access to recovery support services. Includes strategies to address substance use issues in rural and underserved communities.

Provides information, resources, and eligibility criteria to obtain free training to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) for eligible clinicians working to address the opioid epidemic.

Provides information on multiple grants and programs to support the development and education of the health workforce to meet the needs of rural, underserved, and other vulnerable populations. Covers funding opportunities for workforce, including scholarship and loan repayment programs, in the areas of behavioral health, primary care, nursing, oral health, geriatrics, and public health.

Interview with Colin Cash from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota discussing his experience founding and leading the Sober Squad Recovery Movement program. Highlights ways that this program can serve as a model for advancing and sustaining recovery communities during periods of change and disruption.

Interview with Ruby Takushi, Director of Programs for the Recovery Café in Seattle, Washington. Discusses aspects of the recovery cafe model and how it may be used to advance and sustain recovery communities during periods of change and disruption.

Interview with Andre Johnson, President and CEO of the Detroit Recovery Project. Discusses how a peer-led, peer-run, peer-delivered recovery model can be used to advance recovery communities and help individuals maintain recovery during periods of change and disruption.

Interview with Callan Howton, Director of the National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance Center for Addiction Recovery Peer Support. Highlights how this model of providing recovery housing can be used to advance recovery communities and help individuals maintain recovery from substance use during periods of change and disruption.

Interview with Precia Stuby, Executive Director of the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services in Ohio. Discusses how embedding a recovery-oriented system of care (ROSC) model in local health agencies may be employed as a strategy to advance and sustain recovery communities during periods of change and disruption.

Panel discussion featuring 5 representatives from recovery communities in different regions of the country. Draws on the speakers' experiences working to build successful community-based recovery programs and explores how their various approaches and strategies may serve as models to advance and sustain recovery communities during periods of change and disruption.

Offers comprehensive information and resources on the use of prescription opioids, managing chronic pain, and opioid use disorder (OUD) for patients and providers, specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and Indian Health Service (IHS) providers. Includes online tools, technical assistance resources, guides, and training for patients and providers on topics such as opioid crisis data, opioid prevention, proper pain management, opioid prescribing/stewardship, culturally appropriate practices, maternal health, harm reduction, naloxone use, child health and wellness, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), tele-MAT, trauma-informed care, best practices, supportive services, wellness courts, and training opportunities. Resource is an initiative of the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Branch (ASAB).

Details the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services strategy to respond to drug overdoses and prevent overdose deaths across the U.S. Shares research, resources, and evidence-informed overdose interventions focused on 4 priority areas: primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support. Offers strategies and resources designed to increase coordination among key stakeholders, reduce stigma, and expand access to healthcare and treatment for underserved populations, including rural and tribal communities.

Summarizes research describing the distribution of behavioral health professions in rural areas between 2014 and 2021, including social workers, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, counselors, and psychiatrists.

Provides an overview of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD), as well as information on opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Describes current federal regulations and requirements for practitioners to prescribe MOUD. Includes information and training resources for healthcare providers, researchers, and patients.

Presents the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) 4-year strategic plan detailing the agency's guiding principles, priorities, goals, and objectives to address behavioral health needs in the U.S. Focuses on 5 key areas: preventing substance use and overdose; access to suicide prevention and mental health services; promoting resilience and emotional health for children, youth, and families; integrating behavioral and physical healthcare; and strengthening behavioral health workforce. Emphasizes behavioral health equity for underserved and/or historically marginalized populations, including rural and tribal communities.

Provides an overview of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) efforts to increase the supply of trained, culturally aware behavioral health professionals, including psychiatrists, therapists, addiction counselors, homeless outreach specialists, recovery coaches, and other professionals in fields related to prevention, healthcare, and social services. Includes links to programs and resources to help address workforce shortages and provide culturally competent care to individuals with mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD).

Describes the enterprise-wide initiatives currently supported by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health. Shares the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) national programs to provide healthcare services in VA hospitals and health systems to veterans residing in rural areas across the nation. Outlines programs to address primary care, specialty care, mental health, care coordination, workforce training and education, transportation, and more. Includes virtual training for providers on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery, as well as a pharmacy-based program to increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for rural veterans with opioid use disorder.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the treatment and outcomes for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), methamphetamine use, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Describes best practices to help patients avoid preventable complications, reduce substance use, and improve their overall health and wellness.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the health and treatment of patients with chronic pain. Includes information and algorithms for determining the appropriateness, risks, duration, and frequency of opioid therapy to prioritize safe and effective opioid prescribing practices.