Latest News
Racial Equity Training - Announcement from the Overdose Prevention Program
WISAM is sharing this racial equity training designed for organizations and providers working with people who use drugs. The training, "Taking Action on Racial Equity in Drug User Health Programs," was developed in collaboration with In the Works and Reframe Health. It consists of three modules:
• Racial Equity in Overdose & Drug User Health—This module will discuss race, racism and how overlapping systems of oppression can impact the lives of people who use substances, including its important to drug user health.
• Addressing Institutional Racism within Organizations—This module will focus on institutional racism within organizations, specifically which practices and policies create inequity for BIPOC staff, and further explore how interpersonal interactions can contribute to inequity.
• Racial Equity in Planning, Data, and Action—This module will discuss integration of racial equity into service provision and external facing work, what kind of information can inform our work and how to identify goals and targets and work with community partners
The modules are available as a free e-course and can be taken at your own pace. The total course, including supplemental sections, will take approximately six hours to complete. There are supplemental resources provided, including downloadable handouts, worksheets, and a glossary. In order to access the course, you must enroll for the course through this link.
We encourage you to also share this opportunity with other groups that you think will benefit from this resource. Please feel free to share any thoughts or suggestions you may have after accessing the modules. We hope this course will help meet the needs of your organization and improve programming.
Wisconsin DHS News Release
Wisconsinites can call, text, and chat for free, 24/7 mental health and substance use support
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today is recognizing the positive impact the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline has had in the year since the service began taking calls, texts, and online chats. From July 2022 through June 2023, the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline received 91,834 contacts for mental health and substance use support.
“The 988 Wisconsin Lifeline is a critically important resource for Wisconsinites to be able to talk to someone when they need to,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “We are proud of the work the 988 Wisconsin Lifeline team has done over the last year to provide hope, help, and support for tens of thousands of Wisconsinites experiencing mental and behavioral health challenges.
View full press release.
Dear WISAM Members,
Happy July- we can celebrate freedom in many ways, and recall Maya Angelou’s dictum that if we are free, we can work to free others.
The FDA has issued draft guidance on clinical trials with psychedelic drugs here. Please submit comments by August 25, 2023 at this website.
Please join us in July for the Open Exchange with Dr. Trost- see here. As we did last year, we will be offering a complimentary WISAM Annual Conference registration to one person, drawn from all attendees who join the monthly Open Exchange sessions. We are looking forward to convening on the 4th Monday of the month from 7-8 pm through September.
Sincerely,Dr. Ritu Bhatnagar, MD MPH FASAM DFAPA
ATLAS is in Wisconsin! This searchable database went live in June 2023. Please see their website Home | ATLAS (treatmentatlas.org) to share information about your program with people who are looking for treatment.
A press conference for the launch was held June 27, 2023 and Society President, Ritu Bhatnagar, MD MPH, is shown here with Attorney General Josh Kaul. It was great to see bipartisan support for this effort.
The Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine’s Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations of any member in good standing interested in serving in WISAM leadership.
WISAM’s Board of Directors meets quarterly and provides ongoing strategic oversight as the organization works to advance the effectiveness, sustainability and mission of the organization. Board members are expected to participate in all Board meetings, the Open Exchange Series and Fall Conference, and to volunteer for other activities that will help advance the organization's strategic priorities.
Nominations are being accepted for Board of Director officers and director at-large to serve a two-year term beginning after the Fall Conference in October 2023.
Open positions include:
If you or any of your colleagues are committed to serving in a leadership capacity and being a resource for information, education, networking and advocacy, we encourage you to get involved.
Nominations are due by August 13, 2023.
Nominate Here Board Description
Happy June- hope you are enjoying some summer sun and fresh vegetables from the Farmers’ Markets!
The Public Health Emergency officially “ended” on May 11, 2023. As of this writing, we can continue to provide telemedicine for buprenorphine treatment as we have been through November 11, 2023, and if the provider-patient relationship was established by that date, the same allowances that existed during the pandemic can be continued through November 11, 2024.
There continue to be overdose spikes in our areas, and if you can find a way to disseminate that within your networks, you can raise awareness and save a life!
We will take a summer break in June and reconvene in July for the Open Exchange. You can see the discussion with folks from the May discussion with United Way by visiting our website.
As we did last year, we will be offering complimentary WISAM Annual Conference registration to one person, drawn from all attendees who join the monthly Open Exchange sessions. We are looking forward to convening on the 4th Monday through September from 7-8 pm.
Sincerely, Dr. Ritu Bhatnagar, MD MPH FASAM DFAPA
Doctor Day 2023 was a success with over 300 registered attendees. AMA President, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, joined us as the keynote presenter and physicians met with the legislators to discuss Doctor Day's priority issues which included; APRN Legislation and Extended Medicaid Coverage for New Moms. View WISAM's position paper here.
https://www.widoctorday.org/
May 20, 2023
Appleton WI
Clinicians learn tools to treat substance use disorders
On May 20th, clinicians from around the Fox Valley and surrounding areas gathered at Fox Valley Technical College to learn how to combat the opioid overdose epidemic. The event, Stemming the Tide of the Overdose Epidemic, was attended by over 70 physicians, nurse practioners and physician assistants. Clinicians came from as far away as Sturgeon Bay, Wautoma and Shawano to learn how to diagnose and treat opioid use disorder.
Attendees learned how to prescribe the life-saving medication buprenorphine, better known by its brand name Suboxone. Opioid overdose is now the leading cause of death in younger adults in Wisconsin and across the county. Treatment with buprenorphine reduces the risk of premature death by over 50% in people suffering from an opioid use problem. Many people struggle to access these medications and most PCPs do not treat addictions.
The event featured a panel of family physicians who are successfully treating opioid use in their busy primary care clinics. The panelists included Dr. Gretchen Wagner at Ascension in Greenville, Dr. Eric Smiltneek at Aurora in Oshkosh, Dr. Robert Sedlacek at ThedaCare in Waupaca and Dr. Karen Hulbert at ThedaCare in Princeton and Markesan.
The event closed with a panel discussion on stigma reduction in the treatment of people suffering from use disorders. Panelists shared how stigma keeps people from accessing life-saving treatment. The panel discussion was led by Joe Galey from Safe Communities of Madison and included Stephanie Good, a substance abuse counselor at Apricity/Mooring House in Neenah, Caitlin Reider, a substance abuse counselor at ThedaCare Behavioral Health and Jami Carlovsky, a collaborative care nurse manager at ThedaCare in Waupaca.
The event was led by Dr. Ritu Bhatnagar, an addiction psychiatrist at UW-Madison and the current president of the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine (WISAM), and by Dr. Ezra Lyon, a family physician at ThedaCare in Waupaca and ThedaCare’s Associate Medical Director for Integrative Addiction Treatment. The event was free to participants due to generous grant support from the ThedaCare Family of Foundations and from WISAM through federal and state grants. Fox Valley Technical College provided generous in-kind support for the event. Another training is planned for fall of 2023.
Panel discussion on stigma reduction featuring (from left) Jami Carlovsky, Caitlin Reider, Stephanie Good and Joe Galey.
From dea.gov,
The Drug Enforcement Administration received a record 38,000 comments on its proposed telemedicine rules. We take those comments seriously and are considering them carefully. We recognize the importance of telemedicine in providing Americans with access to needed medications, and we have decided to extend the current flexibilities while we work to find a way forward to give Americans that access with appropriate safeguards.
For this reason, last week, DEA, in concert with the Department of Health and Human Services, submitted a draft Temporary Rule to the Office of Management and Budget entitled “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications.” Further details about the rule will become public after its full publication in the Federal Register.
For additional context, please click here.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced changes in rules regulating prescribing of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD).
Section 1262 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, removes the federal requirement for practitioners to have a DATA-Waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for treatment of OUD.
Effective June 21, 2023:
Training Requirements
Beginning June 27, 2023, all DEA-registered practitioners will be required to check a box on their online DEA registration form affirming they have completed a one-time eight-hour training on treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.
These changes could improve access to medical treatment for OUD for pregnant persons in Wisconsin.
For more information on the 8-hour training requirement, click here.
For more information, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s FAQ.
Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine563 Carter Court, Suite B,Kimberly, WI 54136