MAT CONFERENCE

Support for the wellness journey

September 13th – 15th, 2022

Watch Recordings

About The MAT Conference

The Division of Behavioral Health presents the 6th Annual Medications for Addiction Treatment Conference. We are proudly bringing together local, national, and international speakers to discuss best practices in providing care to individuals who use opioids and stimulants. The topics will include:

  • Systemic solutions to opioid use
  • OUD treatment for pregnant and parenting individuals
  • Contingency management
  • Addressing stigma and racial disparities in care

The Resilient Journeys video series will continue to highlight the voices of people with lived experience of substance use and recovery. Don’t miss these powerful stories!

8.5 NAADAC CE will be available for those who attend the live virtual event

WHERE
Virtual Event via Zoom

WHEN
September 13th-15th, 2022

Countdown till the MAT Conference!

Register today and reserve your spot!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

Conference Schedule

Day 1   September 13, 2022

09:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Welcome and Housekeeping

State of Alaska 

Welcome from Naomi Watkins
Welcome from Farina Brown

09:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Treatment for OUD in Europe: From Abstinence- to Existence-Oriented
Dr. Daniele Zullino, University of Hospitals of Geneva

Read More

The fact that addiction treatment is, despite the existing scientific evidence, still very much determined by local moral and political views can be easily seen from the wide variation in treatment provision between different European countries. However, the development of drug policy and the associated treatment services in Switzerland over the last 30 years shows that a strongly repression-oriented policy and the associated abstinence-oriented treatment can be seen as a starting point rather than a fatalistic fact. Moreover, the development is not linear, fed by increasing scientific evidence, but occurs via typical political crises, be they of a sanitary nature (e.g. the open Swiss drug scenes of the 1990s) or in the context of political upheavals (e.g. in the aftermath of elections and referenda). Although satisfactory coverage of opiate-assisted treatment has dramatically reduced mortality and morbidity in certain countries, this type of treatment requires further rethinking to address the chronic nature of the addictive disorder and its social consequences.

10:30 AM – 10:35 AM

Resilient Journeys
Marsha Oss

10:35 AM – 11:00 AM

Break

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Intersections of Trauma & Substance Use
Christina Love, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Read More

We know that trauma is the underlying cause of many experiences of mental health and substance use concerns. The topics of oppression and systemic violence help us to better understand the prevalence of individual, historical, generational, and community trauma and the connection that trauma has with health disparities like MH & SU. This information will guide us to understand the role that social justice and anti-oppression work plays for every supervisor and service provider.

12:30 PM – 12:35 PM

Resilient Journeys

12:35 PM – 1:30 PM

Lunch

01:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Contingency Management in AK

  • Katherine Hirchak, Washington State University
  • Jennifer Shaw, Southcentral Foundation

Read More

In this presentation, we will discuss a study of a contingency management intervention for reducing alcohol use in in Alaska Native and American Indian communities. We will describe cultural adaptations that were made to the intervention and discuss the use of contingency management in diverse clinical settings.

02:30 PM – 2:35 PM

Resilient Journeys
Matt Wright

02:35 PM – 2:45 PM

Closing Remarks

Day 2   September 14, 2022

09:00 AM – 9:10 AM

Welcome and Housekeeping

State of Alaska

Welcome from Dr. Zink

09:10 AM – 10:10 AM

Culturally centering medication treatment for American Indian/Alaska Native people with opioid use disorder
Kamilla Venner, University of New Mexico

Read More

This presentation will review AI/AN Opioid related health disparities, the Role of Social Determinants of Health, AI/AN Strengths, Challenges with evidence-based treatments, Using Community Based Participatory Research, Implementation project Aim 1: convening a collaborative board and developing the cultural adaptations, Implementation project Aim 2: Testing the culturally tailored delivery of medication treatment for opioid use disorder, and Next Steps

10:10 AM – 10:15 AM

Resilient Journeys
Tim Easterly

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Opioid Epidemic in the United States – Clinical Issues and Policy Perspectives
Mark Parrino, American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence Session

Read More

This presentation will discuss the leading policy and treatment challenges facing federal and state governments and treatment providers in response to the opioid use epidemic. The presentation will also include current information about the number of opioid treatment programs and patients being treated through these programs in addition to buprenorphine policy issues. The presentation will also feature a discussion about expanding access to treatment through correctional facilities and mobile vans.

11:30 AM – 11:35 AM

Resilient Journeys
Matt Lamb

11:35 AM – 12:30 PM

Lunch

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Panel

Read More

12:30 PM – 02:00 PM

Recovery Roundtable: ­­­­­Pregnant & Parenting Individuals that use Opioids

Addressing gaps, barriers, and access to treatment

  • Dr. Herbert Day – Narcotic Drug Treatment Center
  • Doug Zock, Department of Corrections, State of Alaska
  • Robert Lawrence, Department of Corrections, State of Alaska
  • Sarah Abramczyk, Office of Children’s Services, State of Alaska
  • Dr. Sarah Spencer, Ninilchik Tribal Council
  • Rachel Gladhart – Hello B.A.B.Y. Program, Bartlett Regional Hospital
  • Moderator: Jenny Weisshaupt, ABADA

02:00 PM – 2:05 PM

Resilient Journeys
Christine Morrison

02:05 PM – 2:15 PM

Closing Remarks

Day 3   September 15, 2022

09:00 AM – 9:10 AM

Welcome and Housekeeping

State of Alaska

Welcome from Theresa Johnson

09:10 AM – 10:30 AM

Pain and Addiction: Wicked siblings in the family of Despair
Donald Teater, SEARHC

Read More

Pain and addiction frequently coexist. The use of opioids can complicate both. This presentation will review the commonalities of pain and addiction and discuss treatment of common causes of pain to reduce complications and improve outcomes.

10:30 AM – 10:35 AM

Resilient Journeys
Christina Love

10:35 AM – 11:00 AM

Break

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Incorporating the Department of Corrections into Vermont’s MOUD System of Care

  • Julia Harrison, Vermont Department of Health|Division of Substance Use Programs
  • Anthony Folland, Vermont Department of Health|Division of Substance Use Programs

Read More

Vermont developed the Hub and Spoke as a system of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), supporting people in recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD) and expanding access to OUD treatment for Vermonters. Eight Regional Hubs offer daily support for patients with complex addictions. At over 100 local Spokes (comprised of several hundred individual prescribers) located in communities across Vermont, addictions care is integrated into general medical care, like treatment for other chronic diseases. In 2018, Vermont passed Act 176, which codified a legal definition of MAT, cemented the medical necessity of MOUD as a component of treatment of inmates with an OUD diagnosis, and directed VT DOC to screen and treat all persons for OUD who meet medical necessity. Since then, the Department of Corrections is one of the state’s largest spoke providers. Case managers and medical staff within the correctional setting provide care coordination at release using the Hub and Spoke framework, which necessitated the community system of care to adapt to meet the unique needs of those leaving correctional facilities. This presented an opportunity to share knowledge between systems, develop treatment standards to use across settings, and focus on quality improvement processes to ensure all Vermonters have access to one unified system of care.

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM

Resilient Journeys
MAT Compilation Reel

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM

Lunch

01:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Racial Disparity in Substance Use Prevention
Laura Hinds, Hindsight Consulting Group, LLC

Read More

This training will explore the difference in how drug use, abuse, and penalty has fallen along racial lines and examine how our efforts at engaging and preventing substance misuse have also been affected by implicit bias, partiality, and judgment. This event will explore the opportunities to address this in our work with clients. From whom gets offered supportive treatment to how our record keeping prevents or disrupts sobriety, we will explore our ethical responsibilities regarding equity and justice in the field of addiction management.

02:00 PM – 2:15 PM

Closing Remarks