The opioid epidemic has continued to worsen, accelerating during the Covid-19 pandemic with more overdose deaths reported nationally in the last year than ever previously recorded.  The urgency with which we need to respond has never been greater.  Emergency physicians, APPs, and pharmacists are on the front lines of this epidemic.  Evolving medical treatment recommendations, a shifting regulatory environment, and variability in resources can make implementing the evidence-based tools to respond to this epidemic difficult.  The goal of this conference is to offer an opportunity to provide evidence-based treatment recommendations for emergency providers with the goals of improving patient care, supporting practice updates, and facilitating discussion among regional emergency specialists with local experts in substance use disorder care.  We will focus on practical strategies that can be universally adopted and discuss available clinical resources to support your practice.

The Allegheny County Substance Use Emergency Care Collaborative was established in 2019.  The Collaborative consists of physician champions from 14 emergency departments throughout Allegheny County including UPMC, AHN, St. Clair, Heritage Valley, and VA hospitals.  The mission of the collaborative is to share best practices and resources regarding the care of emergency department patients with substance use disorders (SUD) as well as advocating on behalf of emergency medicine providers.