Chat About MAT

We are ecstatic to have Haley Coles join us today. Haley is the Executive Director of Sonoran Prevention Works (SPW).  Haley discusses the resources and assistance SPW can provide to providers and patients, research done in Arizona regarding healthcare experiences from people who use drugs, and strategies to help curb fatalities from the opioid epidemic that aren't currently being discussed. The factsheet for this episode can be found at https://azpoison.com/content/chat-about-mat-fact-sheetsHaley’s biographical sketch Haley Coles is a born-and-raised Arizona committed to improving health outcomes for people who use drugs in the state. She received her B.A. in English and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Arizona State University, and completed her Masters in Public Health at the University of Arizona. During a brief stint in Washington, she set up a health insurance enrollment program when the ACA went into effect for participants of the Tacoma Needle Exchange, in partnership with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.    As the founder of Sonoran Prevention Works, she uses her lived experience coupled with a systems-change and data driven perspective to introduce new programming and enhance existing programs throughout Arizona. She is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Leaders Program, and consulted for the Centers for Disease Control on their Syringe Services Programs Standards Project. She has sat on various state committees and boards, including the Governor’s Substance Abuse Task Force in 2016, the Arizona Department of Health Services’ Injury Prevention Advisory Board between 2016-2018, the Arizona Public Health Association Advocacy Committee, and is currently the co-chair of the board of Aunt Rita’s Foundation, a statewide HIV/AIDS foundation.    Haley has also co-authored several papers and continues working with research partners to implement community-based participatory research. Some highlights include “I don't even want to go to the doctor when I get sick now: Healthcare experiences and discrimination reported by People who Use Drugs, Arizona 2019,” published in the International Journal of Drug Policy in 2021; “Insufficient Access: Naloxone Availability to Laypersons in Arizona and Indiana, 2018” published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved in 2021; and “I Could Take the Judgement if you Could Just Provide the Service: Non-Prescription Syringe Purchase Experience in Arizona Pharmacies,” published in the Harm Reduction Journal.   In her role as Executive Director of Sonoran Prevention Works, she continues developing harm reduction curriculum for a wide variety of audiences, advising policy- and decision-makers on policy and practice change, and provides formal and informal mentorship to providers throughout the state. 

Dr. Adrienne Lindsey, MA, DBH,  joins us today to discuss the ASU MAT ECHO program for providers. Dr. Lindsey details what an ECHO is and highlights the benefits of having an interprofessional hub of experts to discuss topics such as buprenorphine induction, screening, harm reduction, interpreting new policies and much more.  The MAT ECHO offers free CE for every session as well as dedicated time for providers to share complex cases and request guidance from the hub. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of the program, then this episode is for youEpisode Factsheethttps://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/u116/episode_12_-_asu_mat_echo_program.pdf

Alyssa Padilla and Dr. Ben Brady hop on today's episode to discuss the benefits and impact of an extremely valuable provider resource: the AzMAT Mentors Program. They also shed light on the health disparities in Arizona, specifically in rural areas, and how that dramatically affects access to care and MAT services for Arizonans.BiosAlyssa PadillaAlyssa Padilla, MPH is the Community Outreach Manager at the University of Arizona Center for Rural Health and Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center. Her expertise include access to care and substance use. Ms. Padilla’s work focuses on program operations and community outreach, education and marketing approaches. This includes project management, federal reporting, partner collaborations, and event planning for several HRSA, CDC, and ADHS grants such as the CDC Overdose Data to Action grant, HRSA Opioid Impacted Family Support Program, and other rural and urban underserved focused initiatives. Ms. Padilla has over 18 years hands-on experience with public health at the local, state and national level. She graduated from the UA Eller College of Management with a focus in Marketing and completed her Masters in Public Health from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Ms. Padilla is interested in community-based public health interventions and the social determinants of health, and works to improve the health and wellness of underserved communities. Born and raised in Tucson, Alyssa is committed to serving the Arizona communityBen BradyDr. Brady is an Assistant Professor at UArizona's Center for Rural Health in the Zuckerman College of Public Health and the Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center in the College of Medicine. He has worked in the field of substance use prevention and treatment for eight years, with experience in tobacco cessation, opioid overdose prevention, medication assisted treatment (MAT), and MAT workforce distribution across geographic and clinical settings. Dr. Brady has graduate degrees in sociology, health promotion, and health policy and management. Episode Factsheethttps://azpoison.com/sites/default/files/u116/episode_11_-_azmat_mentors_program_0.pdf

Dan Barden and Bryanda Acuna sit down with us to review various resources and programs available for MAT providers and patients to improve patient care and retention in treatment. The value of programs such as police deflection programs (UMatter), the Arizona Angel Initiative, and syringe exchange programs are discussed as well whole patient approaches at the CODAC center which is one of Arizona's 24/7 Access Point Providers (Treatment Centers of Excellence).BioBryanda Acuna is an Arizona native currently working at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness as a Peer Support Specialist for the UMatter TPD(Tucson Police Department) Deflection Program. Bryanda earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Studies and Human Development from The University of Arizona and has been working in the field for 9 years. Amongst other passions, Bryanda is a huge advocate for mental health as she, herself, has been in recovery for mental health for 5 years. Aside from her work at CODAC, Bryanda volunteers at NAMI(National Alliance for Mental Illness) as a Young Presenter for the Ending the Silence Program and devotes much of her time to changing the stigma on mental illness. Dan Barden is Vice President for Clinical Services at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness. He joined CODAC in December 2013. Previously he worked for 27 years in rural behavioral health agencies in southeastern Arizona serving in a variety of roles over the years with the last role being Chief Clinical Officer for Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services, Inc. He started his 30+ year career in behavioral health and integrated care working in substance use disorder residential treatment programs. He has since had many opportunities including having been the director of SMI  day programs, adolescent  day programs, vocational rehabilitation programs, Residential program directors, director of a 16-bed level one subacute Psychiatric Inpatient Facility, Intensive outpatient programs and other treatment services, Substance Abuse Services Director responsible for implementing Intensive Outpatient Programs and other treatment services to address   substance use disorders across four counties of southeastern Arizona.  Currently at CODAC he oversees Alvernon and Cobblestone Court Outpatient programs as well as several specialty programs including:  Medication Assisted Treatment for substance use disorders, the Criminal Justice Team, the Men’s Recovery Services, 20th St. transitional living program for men in recovery from substance use disorders, Women’s Recovery Services, Las Amigas residential program for women in recovery from substance use disorders and the Connie Hillman House, a transitional living program for women. 

Dr. Steve Lee, DBH, LPC joins us today to discuss the necessity of non-pharmacologic modalities in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder and some of the challenges and successes he's faced in his career. 

Chris Stallman from MotherToBaby Arizona and Rose Collins from CODAC sit down with us to discuss optimal strategies to assist patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding as well as evidence based recommendations and resources available for patients and providers .Chris Stallman is a board-certified genetic counselor who received her master’s degree in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College. She has experience in cardiovascular and prenatal genetics, teratogen exposures, pre-implantation genetic screening and pharmacogenomics counseling. She joined MotherToBaby Arizona in 2015 as a Teratogen Information Specialist and in 2018, was appointed as Program Coordinator. She is a Clinical Instructor and the Clinical Coordinator, for the University of Arizona Genetic Counseling Graduate Program. Rosalie Collins is a licensed practical nurse and practicing since 2000. She has been working  at CODAC MAT clinic since 2014.

We are joined by Dr. Jaiva Larsen who details her experiences with MAT in the emergency medicine setting. Dr. Larsen highlights some common pearls and pitfalls, guidelines and resources she uses,  as well as offers some valuable insight from some of the cases she's seen with administering buprenorphine in the ED. 

Dr. Elisa Gumm visits us again to dive into the complexity of MAT use in patients suffering dual/polysubstance use disorder. Today we discuss the pros/cons of various pharmacologic options, the potential harm of patient self-treatment, and other patient management topics such as interpreting urine drug screens, non-illegal substances, and off label indications for adjunct treatment

FNP Arlyn Mason stops by today to explain how she navigates inheriting patients suffering from acute or chronic pain and what her strategy becomes if they are also managing an opioid use disorder. Keys to her success include clear communication, setting patient expectations, and various pharmacological and non-pharmacological options.BIO:Arlyn  Mason is a Family Nurse Practitioner at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness. With 28 years of experience, she started her career as a nurse, earning her Bachelors and Masters degrees in the Philippines followed by working in a variety of units and settings.  She became a Nurse Practitioner in 1998 through the University of Missouri-Columbia Sinclair School of Nursing Post-Master Nurse Practitioner Program.  Since then, her experience has spanned outpatient and specialty clinics, urgent care centers, hospital settings, and even a detention center where she has no doubt worked with a wide variety of patients with a broad array of medical concerns.  While she is not a pain specialist, she certainly works with a number of people with chronic and acute pain as a Primary Care Provider at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness. But, at a program intended to help people stop using opioids – such as prescription pain meds – treating pain needs to be done very thoughtfully.  

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners Adam Case and Daniela Losey join us to discuss their experiences providing MAT services and their psychiatry background. Topics range from patient expectations, biggest challenges and successes, and reflection on what they have learned over the years in this field

Dr. Elisa Gumm sits down with us today to discuss the impact of MAT in her institution and how her background in addiction medicine shapes how she approaches this patient population in her emergency department setting

Part 2 of our opening series continues to look at the human impact of opioid use disorder. Brendan Bond joins us and documents his journey to recovery from addiction, challenges the stereotypes of substance use disorder, and discusses how he is able to make a significant impact on the lives of individuals who suffer with substance use disorder.

Today we take a break from guidelines and technical discussions and look at the human impact of opioid use disorder. Chelsea Wells joins us and details her journey to recovery from addiction and how providers can tremendously positive and negative impacts on patient treatment efforts and why stigma in this area is such a deadly matter.