Accelerating Knowledge Exchange in Substance Abuse Treatment

United States

2012 Meeting Overview:

The Accelerating Knowledge Exchange in Substance Abuse Treatment Meeting was held on April 19, 2012.  The meeting provided addiction practitioners, physicians, clinicians, healthcare providers, criminal justice professionals, researchers, policy makers, and others with the opportunity to learn from the top experts who play roles in designing science-based treatment programs, and from the practitioners who implement these programs across the country.

This was the first of the Blending Initiative Events to partner with a professional organization – American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).  In addition, this was the first event to utilize live webcast as a means to increase reach and exposure.  Meeting participants were eligible for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education Units (CEU) commensurate with the extent of their participation.

The meeting consisted of two keynote plenary talks and six skills building workshops.  Discussions were led by experts in the field and included representatives from federal agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – providing an opportunity to disseminate various perspectives from local, research, and federal levels.  

Goals and Objectives:

The goals of the meeting were to:

• Review important and timely topics in the treatment of Substance Use Disorders.
• Provide a forum to discuss emerging research findings and their implications in clinical practice.
• Provide updates and practical applications for selected areas of substance abuse treatment.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants were able to:

• Recognize recent innovations in substance abuse treatment and their integration in medical settings.
• Identify practical considerations of Motivational Interviewing; Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment; Medication Assisted Treatment; and HIV Testing and Intervention for use in clinical settings.
• Use evidence-based approaches to recognize solutions for implementation challenges in practice.

Attendance:

While 216 individuals registered for the meeting, attendance in the main meeting room, which was prepared for 250 individuals, was at maximum capacity.  In addition, 221 individuals (unique users) logged into the live webcast.

Agenda: