Perspectives from Persons in Recovery:  Navigating away from Stigma for Opioid Use Disorder

Release Date: 4/30/21

Expire Date: 4/28/22

Estimated time for completion: 60 minutes

This educational activity is jointly provided by AXIS Medical Education and

The Connecticut Hospital Association

in collaboration with

Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Target audience:  Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Quality Professional, Risk Managers, Healthcare Executives and all healthcare professional working with women and families impacted by trauma and addiction.

Description: Patients with substance use disorders experience stigma at many different touchpoints in the healthcare system.  This is especially true for patients that have children.  This presentation will help medical professionals challenge their beliefs about people who have Substance Use Disorders and how they can either help or harm both the patient experience and ultimately, patient care.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Explain how the power differential between a physician/clinician and patient can impact the services received and care provided
• Describe how the attitudes of implicit bias of the medical staff and interprofessional care team can harm or help their working relationship with people in recovery.

Your Faculty:

Rebecca Allen, MPH, Director of Recovery Support Services, CT Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR), grew up in eastern Connecticut and has worked in the behavioral health field for over 20 years. She received her undergraduate degree from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Connecticut (UConn) in 2015. Rebecca works as the Director of Recovery Support Services for the CT Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR). CCAR provides peer-based recovery support services to people with alcohol and/or other drug addictions. CCAR also strives to remove the stigma that surrounds addiction and recovery through advocacy, education, service and by “putting a face on recovery.” As part of CCAR’s Leadership Team, Rebecca directs the daily operations of all recovery support services and is responsible for staff supervision. She identifies herself as “a person in long-term recovery” and has been drug-free for over 22 years. “I’m fortunate to work for an organization where I can share my personal story of recovery and use myself as an example that people can and do recover.”

Mindy Richardson is a person in long term recovery that has experienced and conquered numerous barriers. Mindy has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Phoenix in Business Management and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Organizational Management. She is a former volunteer for The Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and currently works for CCAR as an Emergency Department Recovery Coach (EDRC). Mindy has a passion to serve and enjoys “planting seeds of hope” to inspire others to stay in the recovery process. Mindy was a panelist at the 2018 CT Women & Opioids conference, was interviewed by WTNH Channel 8 for her role as an EDRC and was a speaker at the 2020 New England Summer School for Addiction Studies. Currently living in New Haven County, she has four children and a granddaughter whom she adores.

Kevin Shuler is a Person in Recovery and a Recovery Coach Professional (RCP). Following many years of Addiction, Kevin has been able to maintain and sustain his Recovery for multiple years. A near death overdose left him physically unable to walk for nearly 6 months. During this time, he recalibrated his resolve and commitment to the process of Recovery. Kevin has gone on to earn a degree in Human Services, is the father to a beautiful little girl, and serves the Recovery Community Organization CCAR, as an Emergency Department Recovery Coach (EDRC). The EDRC program responds to 22 Emergency departments across the state of CT; seeking to help individuals to initiate their own personal Recovery by providing support, encouragement, viable resources as well as placements and referrals. In the past year Kevin has spoken at the State Capitol on Overdose Awareness day, a press conference featuring Governor Lamont at CCAR’s Hartford Recovery Community Center, and participated on a panel for “Stories of Hope and Recovery”, hosted by Intercommunity.

ACCREDITED CONTINUING EDUCATION

Accreditation Statement

 In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by AXIS Medical Education and the Connecticut Hospital Association. AXIS Medical Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.

Credit Designation for Physicians

AXIS Medical Education designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Credit Designation for Nursing

AXIS Medical Education designates this continuing nursing education activity for 1.0 contact hours.

Learners are advised that accredited status does not imply endorsement by the provider or ANCC of any commercial products displayed in conjunction with an activity.

Social Workers

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, AXIS Medical Education is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. AXIS Medical Education maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 continuing education credits.

Quality Professionals

This program has been approved by the National Association for Healthcare Quality for a maximum of 1 CPHQ continuing education credits for this event.

Risk Management

This meeting has been approved for a total of 1.0 contact hours of Continuing Education Credit toward fulfillment of the requirements of ASHRM designations of FASHRM (Fellow) and DFASHRM (Distinguished Fellow) and towards CPHRM renewal. 

Healthcare Executives

ACHE Qualified Education credit must be related to healthcare management (i.e., it cannot be clinical, inspirational, or specific to the sponsoring organization). It can be earned through educational programs conducted or sponsored by any organization qualified to provide education programming in healthcare management. Programs may be sponsored by ACHE, chapters, or other qualified sources, whether the programming is face-to-face or distance offerings (webinars, online seminars, self-study courses, etc.). You will receive a certificate of completion for 1.0 hours.

AXIS Contact Information

For information about the accreditation of this program please contact AXIS at info@axismeded.org.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

AXIS Medical Education requires faculty, instructors, authors, planners, directors, managers, reviewers and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose all real or apparent conflicts of interest they may have with ineligible companies. An ineligible entity is any organization whose primary business is t producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. All relevant conflicts of interest are identified and mitigated prior to initiation of the planning phase for an activity. 

AXIS has mitigated and disclosed to learners all relevant conflicts of interest disclosed by staff, planners, faculty/authors, peer reviewers, or others in control of content for this activity. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone bias in any presentation but is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation or activity. Disclosure information for faculty, authors, course directors, planners, peer reviewers, and/or relevant staff is provided with this activity.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships or relationships they have with ineligible companies of any amount during the past 24 months:

The directors, planners, managers and reviewers reported the following financial relationships they have with any ineligible company of any amount during the past 24 months:

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Requirements for credit:  

• Participate in the enduring educational activity and review all activity materials. 
• Complete the posttest with a score of 80% or higher
• Upon reaching a score of 80% or higher you will be emailed instructions to complete an electronic CE Attestation portal.  Please engage with this portal within 30 days on activity completion.
• Upon successful completion of the portal process your statement of completion will be presented to you for print.