Continuing Education Event – Focus on Fentanyl – Potent Synthetic Opioid Use Disorder Requires a Different Approach – live webinar – March 16, 2023

Recovery Centers of America has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7002. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Recovery Centers of America is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This course qualifies for 2 credit hours.

Fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids are prevalent in the drug supply leading to increased risk for overdose as well as rapid tolerance and dependence. These facts are known to people who use drugs (PWUD) and those who treat PWUD, but treatment providers have not uniformly adapted their approach to care in response. This talk will explain what potent synthetic opioids are and how they differ from other “traditional” opioids, like heroin and oxycodone. It will also describe innovative approaches to care for people using synthetic opioids during detoxification and treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Learning Objectives:

• Compare natural, semisynthetic, and potent synthetic opioids from the perspective of PWUD and treatment providers.
• Describe 2 detoxification strategies to improve relief of withdrawal symptoms for people using synthetic opioids.
• Explain 2 ways that MOUD induction, titration and dose stabilization may differ for people using potent synthetic opioids compared to those using “traditional” opioids.

Trainer bio:
Dr. Heidi Ginter
Chief Medical Director
Dr. Heidi Ginter, MD, FASAM has nearly two decades of experience working in the addiction treatment field, is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine, and is a prominent voice in medication-assisted treatment (MAT). MAT, the use of FDA-approved medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, is widely considered to be an effective tool in battling addiction to opioids and other drugs.

Dr. Ginter graduated from Yale University and earned her doctorate at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She has lectured extensively on MAT and opioid dependence. Dr. Ginter started her career as a family doctor for underserved populations and eventually found a passion for helping pregnant women struggling with addiction. Most recently, she was the Regional Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer for an outpatient addiction treatment provider with 16 sites in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut.