The Pima County Health Department (PCHD) issued an overdose alert at the end of January, stating that the use of fentanyl – either by itself or in combination with other substances – was the cause of 62% of fatal overdoses in December. For your patients that are prescribed an opioid, make sure they have an accompanying naloxone prescription and/or advise them that PCHD offers free nasal naloxone kits; distribution locations are at this PCHD website. The Health Department also offers resources through PimaHelpline.org, designed to assist individuals in locating resources and treatment options in the community for substance use related needs.
I commend PCHD for including mental health resources as part of its helpline website, which includes links to support/crisis lines, treatment providers, and information on stigma and how to reduce stigma. We continue to battle stigma as a barrier to seeking and receiving treatment. With stigma comes shame, and both can be deadly if it keeps people from reaching out for help.
Mental illnesses are still steeped in stigma in the health care field, and we feel very strongly about educating primary care providers on behavioral health concerns that may present in their offices as frontline providers.
This is the reason we started the Psychiatry for Non-Psychiatrists conference last year, and we are pleased to offer the 2nd Annual University of Arizona Update in Behavioral Medicine for Primary Care virtual CME conference on Saturday, March 11. We are deeply grateful to our title sponsor, Banner – University Health Plans, whose funding has enabled us to host top-notch presenters from the University of Arizona, Stanford, University of Pittsburgh, University of Kentucky and UCLA presenting on and discussing how to treat depression, bipolar disorder, chronic pain in older adults, trauma-informed care, hoarding disorder, anxiety, and more. Please join us! Reach out to Jamie Manser, jlmanser@psychiatry.arizona.edu, for more details and for a discount code.
