Patient Retention in Times of Fentanyl and Stimulants

Location: Las Brisas 1 Session Description: Retention in substance use treatment is one of the strongest predictors of improved outcomes. Fentanyl, stimulants, and other uncertainties have emphasized the life-saving importance of retaining patients in treatment long enough for them to achieve their desired goals. What are some ways we can help retain patients in treatment? Medicated-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the gold standard for treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) evidence shows how it helps retain patients, decrease mortality rates, and increase likelihood of positive outcomes. Ample evidence shows these medications reduce opioid use and opioid use disorder-related symptoms, and they reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission and criminal behavior. Learn about how to overcome some of the barriers to accessing treatment to help treatment OUD. Strong evidence supports the use of Contingency Management (CM) to reduce the use of stimulants (SAMHSA, 2023) and there are several ways to incorporate its use in various settings (grant funding and clinic initiatives). Discover how the use of technology-based initiatives (Recovery Connect Smartphone Application and text messaging) aim to support people in treatment and provide services for their recovery. Understand how principles and practices of harm reduction is critical to engaging people who use substances and giving them access to life-saving tools (SAMHSA, 2023). Eliminating stigmatizing language from treatment is imperative to reduce harm and increase engagement in treatment. Retention requires approaches to meet individuals in their own journey in recovery and long enough for them to achieve their desired goals.