“The national COVID pandemic made the nation’s drug overdose epidemic worse.” “Nearly 70,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2020” (National Center for Health Statistic). There has been an increase in the abuse of opioids in African American and Latinos communities before and even more so since the onset of the COVID pandemic. One prevailing theme is the fact that the epidemic now is driven by illicit fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, and cocaine, often in combination or in adulterated forms. Overdose related to prescription opioids and heroin remain high and also are increasingly contaminated with illicit fentanyl.’ (AMA, 2021).

Goals/Objectives:

• Introduction- “What do you know about Opioids Quiz”
• Participants will explain the root causes of the Opioid pandemic.
• To summarize how the COVID pandemic has impacted the abuse of opioids.
• To list the signs and symptoms of different stages of opioid use and commonly abused prescription medications.
• To identify the factors that are contributing to an increase in opioid abuse in African American and Latino communities
• To compare and contrast opioid abuse and the increase in overdose from national and Georgia state levels.
• An overview of effective treatment models; with a specific focus on Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Changes Models.
• To define the purpose and spirit of Motivational Interviewing when treating individuals with Opioids and other substance use disorders.
• Participants will identify key factors in developing an MI therapeutic alliance that will enable healthcare professionals to help clients express their feelings/problems, and impact behavior.
• Participants will explain and cite examples of various MI techniques (e.g. OARS and RULE techniques) and the importance of the partnership of client and therapist throughout the treatment process.
• Participants will identify how Motivational Interviewing techniques and the Stages of Changes Model are effective in treating individuals with opioids and other co-occurring disorders.
• Experiential Case Study