Substance Use disorders in Emergency Departments
Purpose: Improve services provided to people with substance use disorder accessing emergency departments for care. Throughout ECHO, we address clinical care, patient and provider experience, and stigma towards people who use drugs. Interprofessional faculty includes physicians, social workers, and peers.
Audience: ED clinicians (prescribing MD, DO, NP, PA), nurses, social workers, pharmacists, behavioral health specialists, practice managers, and quality improvement specialists are encouraged to register. ED teams are highly encouraged to participate together including prescribers and other care team members.
Sample topics: Reducing stigma and using best practice language for substance use disorder care; Medication for Opioid Use Disorder, including buprenorphine and methadone; Management of precipitated opioid withdrawal; Managing alcohol withdrawal; Methamphetamine Use Disorder; Recovery Peers in emergency departments
Schedule: 12 sessions. Tuesdays, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m., Pacific time, February 10 — May 5, 2026
Faculty
Ulrika Agnew, MD, Emergency Department/ Addiction Medicine Clinician, Astoria Sunnyside Hospital; Boulder Care
Melissa Willitzer, PA-C, Emergency Department Clinician, OHSU Hillsboro; Portland Adventist; and Columbia Memorial Hospital
Shaun Babcock, MSW, Medical Social Worker, Tuality
Brennan Washburn, CADC-R. CRM I, PSS, Bend Peer Supervisor and Peer Support Specialist, BestCare Treatment Services
