Clinic Strategy Committee: Addressing Alcohol Use Disorder in Primary Care

September’s Clinical Strategy Committee meeting kicked off a Think Tank on Addressing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in Primary Care. We thank Nelly Burdette, PsyD, Boston Medical Center Population Behavioral Health Director and CTC-RI Integrated Behavioral Health Senior Director; Linda Cabral, CTC-RI Senior Program Manager; and CTC-RI intern Nash Klinger for presenting a comprehensive environmental scan of AUD in Rhode Island. We’d also like to thank our expert panelists Garry Bliss, Prospect Health Services RI Senior Director; Barry Fabius, MD, UnitedHealthcare Chief Medical Officer; Gloria Rose, RN, Thundermist Health Center Director of Community Care Management; and John Tassoni, Substance Use and Mental Health Leadership Council of RI President for their contributions.

The session highlighted various barriers to addressing RI AUD in primary care including the stigmatization of treatment-seeking, access to medication-assisted treatment, and the lack of peer recovery specialists. Proposed solutions included enhancing peer counseling in emergency settings, strengthening ties between emergency departments and primary care, early intervention in educational settings, and training of non-clinicians in pharmaceuticals.

Our next meeting is October 21, 12:00-1:00 PM, focusing on community health worker roles, and the “Addiction Care Today and Recovery Center” at Lifespan.  Join us and sign up for our 4-part series here or email CTC-RI program coordinator, Phos Ivestei, at pivestei@ctc-ri.org.