HARRISBURG —  The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced the launch of seven new training opportunities to help healthcare providers reduce overdose risk and improve patient outcomes.

Training is available both online and in-person at no cost and includes continuing education credits for healthcare providers, which may also meet various licensing requirements.

“The Shapiro Administration is committed to developing and sharing new  tools to help health care providers address substance use disorder using evidence-based approaches and prevent overdose deaths,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “These new educational offerings provide practical guidance and information health care professionals can use to treat people with substance use disorder. Stigma, a common barrier to treatment and recovery, is also addressed throughout the curriculum.”

The courses cover the following topics:

• Pain Management Guidelines – Focus on CDC’s 2022 clinical practice guideline for prescribing opioids for pain and patient-centered care;

• Pain Management Assessment and Clinical Decision-Making for Opioid and Nonopioid Medications – Covers initiating opioids for pain and non-opioid pain management options, the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), and the biopsychosocial model of pain;

• Opioid Treatment for Pain Management – Describes considerations for opioid initiation, dosage, and tapering;

• Identifying and Addressing Substance Use Impacts with SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) – Conducting screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment strategies;

• Strategies to Enhance Patient-Clinician Communication for Pain Management Care – Introduces motivational interviewing and shared decision-making;

• Pennsylvania Overdose Trends & Harm Reduction – Describes non-fatal and fatal overdose trends, data-informed overdose prevention, and naloxone access; and

• Health Equity in Pain Management and Substance Use Disorder Care – Focuses on disparities is the substance use continuum of care, and clinical communication that supports health equity.

The courses are offered for self-directed study via the Department of Health’s website. The courses are also offered through the Department’s education vendor, Quality Insights, as no-cost virtual and on-site education sessions available in all Pennsylvania counties. Visit Quality Insights’ website to register or email PDMPEducation@qualityinsights.org.

The Shapiro Administration emphasizes a public health approach to engage individuals with substance use disorder, prevent overdose, reduce infectious disease transmission, and provide accessible treatment to Pennsylvanians.

“Preventing overdose and saving lives takes a coordinated response,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “DDAP supports this work by funding community-based opioid prevention and harm reduction efforts, offering access to free naloxone, promoting safe medication disposal, and requiring warm handoffs at the local level to help overdose survivors transition from emergency care to treatment. But education is just as essential. These trainings help ensure providers are equipped to address not only pain management, but also the disparities that persist in care— key to turning the tide of the overdose crisis across Pennsylvania.”
Continuing education credits are available for Pennsylvania licensed health care providers.
Pennsylvania medicine, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, nursing, and dentistry boards approved some modules to meet certain Pennsylvania professional licensing requirements. Each module fulfills one of the required eight training hours on opioid or other substance use disorder treatment, as mandated by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 for DEA-registered practitioners. More information about continuing education credits can be found on the Department of Health’s website.

These educational offerings are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $10.6 million with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS.