J. Craig Allen, MD, FASAM, Medical Director, Rushford, Chief of Psychiatry, Midsta, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Frank H. Netter School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University

This activity is designed to meet the needs of primary care physicians, specialty care physicians, psychiatrists, allied professional staff, program administrators, staff specializing in adolescent services.

Adolescents and young adults are one-tenth as likely to get appropriate treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) than those over the age of 25. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), considered first line treatments, decrease the risk of overdose death from 50-80%. Nonetheless, a study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics looked found that less than 2% of adolescents and young adults received one of the three FDA-approved medications. This may be due to lack of education and training for medical providers, lack of clinically appropriate care available in specialty settings or concerns about using these medications with this age group. Today’s webinar will provide education and guidance to interested providers about how to effectively treat and engage adolescents and young adults in opioid use disorder treatment.

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

• Identify the major risk factors for developing OUD
• Examine the evidence supporting MOUD
• Identify strategies to intervene with youth at risk of developing or having developed OUD
• Review strategies to engage in OUD treatment