Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and dentists ONLY
Alabama faces a crisis of deaths from opioids, stimulants, synthetic agents, tobacco, and alcohol. These deaths represent a mere fraction of the total number of Americans harmed by substance misuse. The long-term effects of substance misuse impact individuals, families, and communities. This is further compounded by changing patterns of substance misuse, as well as an increasing incidence of polysubstance use. The rise in fentanyl use or exposure, concurrent substance misuse, as well as overdose deaths, necessitates consideration of educational elements that promote understanding of SUDs, as well as their identification, treatment, and management. Section 1263 of the ‘Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023’ otherwise known as the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act, requires new or renewing Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registrants, as of June 27, 2023, to have completed a total of at least 8 hours of training on opioid or other substance use disorders, as well as the safe pharmacological management of dental pain. This training will meet this new requirement and provide prescribers the opportunity to understand the risks and role of medications to effectively treat pain, screening for substance use and related risk factors for substance use, and stigma as barriers to engaging patients into treatment.