RESOURCES & SUPPORT
Opioid Abatement
Learn how we can support your organization in using opioid settlement funds effectively through grants, curriculum and training.
Home / Sector Solutions / Opioid Abatement
HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOU
Using Settlement Funds
The Change Companies has been a leader in the field of addiction treatment, person-centered care and clinical staff training for over 30 years. Our delivery model relies on the evidence-based practice of Interactive Journaling® that develops self-efficacy while maintaining dignity and respect for the participant. Many of our curricula map to The ASAM Criteria to support programming and accountability. We invite you to explore specific curricula and training below that can support opioid abatement and adhere to the recommended use of funds in the settlement agreement Exhibit E.
IMPACT OF COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Two studies examined the efficacy of providing CBT—a cornerstone of The Change Companies' Interactive Journaling® curricula—in conjunction with MOUD relative to providing standard MOUD alone. The first study (Kouimtsidis et al., 2012) compared outcomes of participants who were randomly assigned to receive standard MOUD (n = 31) or standard MOUD plus CBT (CBT, n = 29). MOUD participants received 30-minute manual-guided sessions every two weeks. In addition to receiving standard MOUD, CBT participants were offered weekly individual CBT sessions of 50 minutes for up to 24 sessions during the 6-month study period. Results revealed no significant between-group differences on days of heroin use, abstinence rates, psychosocial problem severity, quality of life, psychological symptoms or MOUD compliance. CBT participants, however, displayed significant improvements in their positive appraisal (P = 0.02) at the 6-month assessment and lower emotional discharge at the 12-month assessment (P < 0.05) than MOUD participants.
OPIOID ABATEMENT CURRICULUM & TRAINING
| person-centered, evidence-based, enhances existing programming | |
| live or online, reduces burnout, topic-focused |
MEDICATION ASSITED TREATMENT (MAT) JOURNAL
The Medication Assisted Treatment or MAT Journal takes a whole-person approach to treatment and recovery, giving participants the opportunity not only to learn more about medication as a form of treatment, but to gain skills and insights that will help them make positive life changes, set healthy goals and live a full life in recovery.
Read moreKEEP IT DIRECT AND SIMPLE (KIDS) CURRICULUM
The Change Companies has created 10 Journals specifically for adolescents in behavioral health and addiction treatment programs. The Keep It Direct and Simple approach highlights core concepts appropriate for adolescents using a nonjudgmental focus on positive, strength-based strategies. Participants will not only explore the problems that brought them into treatment, but will learn the tools and skills to make meaningful, lasting change in their lives.
Read moreMY LIFE IN RECOVERY
My Life in Recovery applies the latest research in addiction, mental health and personal change theory for participants in treatment for addiction. The Journals in the My Life in Recovery curriculum can help participants work toward success in treatment and a healthier, happier life. These Journals can be individualized and tailored to the unique needs of each participant.
Read moreMOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING TRAINING
This 5-module, self-paced, online training guides both new and veteran facilitators in learning how to effectively use motivational interviewing.
Read moreFOUNDATIONAL FACILITATION SKILLS TRAINING
This 6-module, on-demand course is designed to familiarize your staff with Interactive Journals and the skills they will use in a therapeutic setting.
Read moreONE-DAY MAT PSYCHOSOCIAL FOCUS TRAINING
Medications to support recovery from opioid use disorders are critical tools in effective evidence-based addiction treatment, yet their outcomes are less than optimal because of the lack of psychosocial support typically offered to patients. Medication initiation, adherence and persistence benefit from behavioral interventions to help patients build motivation, set goals, manage expectations, effectively communicate with their support team, overcome obstacles to staying on track and celebrate successes along the way.
This training offers an overview of the role that approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) play in the “whole-person” approach to treatment and recovery with a strong emphasis on specific science-based behavioral skills that are useful as part of comprehensive medication-assisted recovery.
ONE-DAY MAT PHARMACOTHERAPY FOCUS TRAINING
One of the challenges of Medications in Treatment (MAT) is that clients and counselors often focus on the medication and lose the balance of full recovery. This workshop will focus on how to use the evidence-based practices of motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy and the transtheoretical model of behavior change to broaden substance use disorder treatment beyond the “bio” (as in biopsychosocial) administration of the medication. It will help providers collaborate with clients to individualize substance use treatment and develop person-centered services that hold clients accountable and attract them to recovery.
Read moreHOW WE GOT HERE
The Opioid Crisis
Drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed. They increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020 and have quintupled since 1999. Of the 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020, 3 out of 4 involved an opioid. We are now in the third wave of this crisis:
| The first wave began in the 90s, with overdose deaths involving prescription opioids (natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone) increasing since 1999. | |
| Heroin overdoses brought the second wave, starting in 2010. | |
| 2013 signaled the third wave. Synthetic opioids (particularly those related to fentanyl) can be found in combination with heroin, counterfeit pills and cocaine. |
COVID-19 exacerbated the third wave due to secondary effects such as isolation, anxiety and lack of access to quality care. Read more from the CDC on the statistics behind the opioid crisis.
SETTLEMENT TRACKERS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND MORE
Resources for Further Reading
Explains Opioid Remediation Uses: States and qualifying block grantees shall choose from among the abatement strategies listed in Schedule B with priority given to the “core strategies.”
https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Exhibit-E-Final-Distributor-Settlement-Agreement-8-11-21.pdf
Explains Opioid Remediation Uses: States and qualifying block grantees shall choose from among the abatement strategies listed in Schedule B with priority given to the “core strategies.”
https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Exhibit-E-Final-Distributor-Settlement-Agreement-8-11-21.pdf
Tracks current state funding available to each state.
https://www.opioidsettlementtracker.com/globalsettlementtracker/#statuses
An interactive site that provides settlement guidance, aggregates related news and explores tools to implement principles.
https://opioidprinciples.jhsph.edu/
Explores the unique circumstances and application of settlement funds for Tribes and Tribal Health Organizations.
https://www.tribalopioidsettlements.com/
Explore examples of how some counties have rapidly and effectively put opioid settlement funds to use.
https://www.naco.org/resources/opioid-solutions/counties-in-action