Upcoming Events

This workshop is based on the updated federal resource, the SAMHSA Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit. Designed for crisis workers, the session examines the development of the opioid epidemic, presents key principles of overdose prevention, and outlines methods for applying best practices in crisis situations. Participants will learn practical overdose response skills, such as administering opioid overdose reversal medications, and strategies for interacting with individuals experiencing substance use, misuse, or substance use disorders (SUD) in a nonjudgmental manner. The workshop also discusses approaches to engaging communities, particularly those with higher rates of overdoses and overdose mortality. Emphasis is placed on connecting individuals to care, utilizing trauma-informed methods, and implementing strategies aimed at reducing stigma and improving outcomes in high-stress settings. Participants will receive guidance on putting SAMHSA’s recommendations into practice to support individuals and communities impacted by substance use, misuse, and SUD.

Learning Objectives:

• Define overdose prevention and response within the context of crisis care.
• Describe the historical and system-wide factors contributing to the opioid epidemic.
• Demonstrate how to apply overdose prevention strategies in crisis settings.
• Recognize evidence-based strategies such as trauma-informed care, nonjudgmental engagement, and facilitating connections to treatment and recovery resources, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD), recovery support services, and recovery housing.
• Integrate SAMHSA’s overdose prevention guidance into workflows and protocols for crisis response teams. 

There will be an information exchange with the presenter addressing questions submitted live and during the webinar registration process.

Public safety answering points, like 911, and law enforcement dispatch centers, are often the first points of contact in a crisis situation. Studies have shown that up to 20% of 911 calls in the United States are behavioral health crises (i.e., mental health or substance use). Dispatch call center diversion is an emerging strategy that enables trained dispatchers to identify behavioral health-related calls and transfer them to appropriate crisis call centers and mobile crisis teams, connecting individuals to care quickly. This workshop will explore how partnerships between dispatch centers, law enforcement, and crisis care providers can create effective diversion pathways, improving outcomes for behavioral health crisis callers by providing them with the most suitable crisis response, while also reducing the burden on public safety answering points like 911.  

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the role of dispatch call centers in crisis response and diversion.
• Identify key components of effective partnerships between dispatch, law enforcement, and crisis care systems.
• Apply strategies to develop and/or enhance call triage protocol, dispatcher training opportunities, and cross-system collaboration in individual communities.

There will be an information exchange with the presenters addressing questions submitted live and during the webinar registration process.