Expanded access to critical addiction education for med students and practitioners

CENTER CITY, Minn., May 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Although the U.S. Surgeon General estimates that nearly 21 million people are living with substance use disorder¹, a lack of formal training in this area has left many of today's practicing physicians inadequately prepared to assess, intervene, manage, and treat addiction and co-occurring disorders. That's why addiction treatment industry leader Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation teamed with NYU Grossman School of Medicine to expand delivery of an online curriculum that rewrites addiction-related medical education worldwide and enable medical students and practitioners to identify, intervene and address substance use disorders.

Used in medical schools around the world, the Course on Addiction and Recovery Education (CARE) online curriculum positions physicians to better serve substance use disorder patients, as well as improve the overall quality and cost-effectiveness of health care.

"Doctors face many critical needs these days—not the least of which is addiction, a national public health crisis that is only worsening amid the anxiety and stress of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Joseph Skrajewski, M.A., MFTI, the executive director of medical and professional education at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. "Substance use disorder is one of the most common issues a medical provider will encounter and a major contributor to other chronic illnesses—yet the average medical student in U.S. medical schools receives two-to-10 hours of training on it during their entire education. It is the most underdiagnosed and misunderstood disease because providers aren't equipped with the training they need to help their patients."

Medical schools and practitioners can subscribe to CARE through NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which pursues the latest technology to enrich medical education.

"Managing the care of victims of the opioid crisis is one of the most difficult and important issues of our time. Few health care workers are prepared for this task. Providing online educational materials to healthcare workers who are on the front line in our battle with addiction is an important contribution," said Dr. Thomas Riles, associate dean for medical and technology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "NYU Langone Health is proud to partner with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in this project designed to help physicians to better diagnosis and treat addiction."

The innovative curriculum is comprised of six virtual patient cases and 14 video modules, available with continuing medical education credits, focusing on the most common addiction and substance use topics that medical students and healthcare professionals need to be prepared to address. These modules and videos are designed to be used as stand-alone segments or in conjunction with current medical school curriculums. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the Treatment Research Institute (TRI), and Aquifer (formerly MedU) collaborated on the original initiative.

About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide and collaborates with an expansive network throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.

¹ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Surgeon General, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. Washington, DC: HHS, November 2016.

SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Related Links

https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org