Opioid Use Disorder and Bias

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Opioid Use Disorder and Bias

Due to COVID-19, the talk around health disparities has entered the mainstream. National news has highlighted disproportionately high rates of mortality among African Americans with coronavirus in Louisiana, Michigan, and New York. Dr. Tony Armstrong, president of Ohio State Medical Association, addressed racial disparities and social determinants of health in Gov. Mike DeWine’s April 9 COVID-19 press conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btsFu33KvDM).

The social determinants of health--the conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work –are influenced by: socio-economic conditions; education; neighborhood under-investments; underlying health conditions and health care; and social and community context. Looking at the social and community determinants, implicit and explicit biases are one of many things that can impact the context and cause disparities in health access, treatment, and outcomes.

Scale Strategic Solutions in partnership with The Eastledge Group is delivering a training, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to address implicit and explicit bias toward people with Opioid Use Disorder. The American College of Physicians’ Annals of Internal Medicine recently highlighted “an epidemic within a pandemic” with the risks to millions of individuals with opioid use disorder, who are “already vulnerable and marginalized” whose access to health care delivery is compromised during COVID-19. (https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2764311/epidemic-midst-pandemic-opioid-use-disorder-covid-19) With the complex challenges and needs facing individuals with Opioid Use Disorder, removing barriers by minimizing bias will aid recovery.

Bias rears its head in many ways in how persons with Opioid Use Disorder or other behavioral health disorders are treated. These biases prove out in a variety of forms including but not limited to:

• Biased language used against individuals with substance use disorders, who may be referred to as “addicts”, “druggies”, “junkies”, or “substance abusers”.

• Bias against people with Opioid Use Disorder who are “criminalized”.

• Racial bias

• Socio-economic or class bias

• Secondary level characteristics such as education level, professional status, parenting status, region (Ohio major urban areas, suburban communities, rural, rural Appalachian), etc. and

• Social desirability bias

Our Bias Training Programs will cover all relevant forms of bias, including the following topics:

• What is bias—implicit and explicit

• Where and how does bias function

• Impact of bias on services and recovery for individuals with opioid use disorder

• How to discuss and mitigate implicit bias

During this pandemic of COVID-19 and considering interruptions in health care delivery, treatments, and support systems, there could be a rise in opioid drug use, and a resulting rise in bias directed towards this population. Our training will provide practitioners with skills to manage and ultimately reduce biased treatment decisions and outcomes.

The training will be customized for the following audiences: any physical or behavioral health provider and health providers with substance recovery experience. If you are a physical or behavioral health professional, you can attend the virtual training for free. Register for trainings with the information below:

Addressing Bias and Opioid Use Disorder

Dates: May 19, 26, or 28

June 4, 9, 16, 23, or 24

Time: 1-3:30 PM

Register at https://omhasbiasoud2020.eventbrite.com/?aff=newletter

Addressing Bias with Lived Experience of Opioid Use Disorder

Dates: May 20 or June 10

Time: 1-3:30 PM

Register at https://biaslivedexperienceoudspring2020.eventbrite.com/?aff=newletter

We have developed these trainings that we will begin virtually in hopes to decrease the implicit and explicit biases that people with Opioid Use Disorder and other behavioral health disorders face on a daily basis.

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