The Tri-Valley Library of Conversations Courses
The Opioid Crisis
Instructor:
Joji Suzuki
Joji Suzuki, MD, is the Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Suzuki is also a consultation-liaison psychiatrist in the Division of Medical Psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Course Description:
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to the addiction community and to those providers who serve persons living with substance use disorders: Drug-seeking behaviors can increase exposure to COVID-19; Greater social isolation can complicate and even interrupt access to social supports, treatment, and healthy distractions; Quarantine and social distancing can increase relapse factors, such as associated fear, anxiety, and boredom; and COVID-19 can limit the ability of the provider community to monitor patients' progress and to deliver adequate care interventions.
Course Objectives Include:
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Offer an update on the current state of the opioid crisis.
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Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opioid crisis.
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Present novel approaches that have helped to maintain access to evidence-based treatments.