Today the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises announced the launch of its Core Competency Implementation Pilot Project and the selection of 16 implementation sites across the United States. In partnership with the Action Collaborative, the sites will work towards advancing substance use care, workforce competency, and interprofessional education and practice by implementing the Action Collaborative’s 3Cs Framework for Pain and Unhealthy Substance Use, released in 2022.
Recognizing the critical role that health professionals play in combatting substance use and opioid crises, in 2021 members of the Action Collaborative authored a special publication, Educating Together, Improving Together: Harmonizing Interprofessional Approaches to Address the Opioid Epidemic, identifying the need to establish minimum core competencies in pain management and substance use care for all health professionals. In response, the Action Collaborative developed the 3Cs Framework for Pain and Unhealthy Substance Use, which aims to set a standard for the minimum level of competence expected from all health professionals to address professional practice gaps in pain management and substance use care while strengthening the delivery of coordinated, interprofessional, high-quality, and person-centered care.
About the Pilot Implementation Sites
The Implementation Pilot Project will offer insight into the feasibility and utility of implementing different aspects of the Framework across the learning continuum in a diversity of interprofessional education and practice settings. The 16 implementation sites selected for this project represent 11 states and Washington, D.C. Guided by the Framework, the sites will develop tailored implementation activities based on their organizational needs. The pilot sites represent a wide variety of settings, including: academic medical centers, a federally qualified health center, a hospital, an addiction treatment program, a professional association, a fire and emergency medical services department, and schools of nursing, pharmacy, medicine, and public health. Additionally, the projects will implement the Framework across the full range of the education, training, and practice continuum, including in undergraduate and graduate education and with practicing health professionals.
Implementation Sites
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (Rosemont, Illinois)
- Binghamton University (Binghamton, New York)
- DC Fire and EMS (Washington, D.C.)
- Drexel College of Medicine, Caring Together Program (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- El Rio Community Health Center (Tucson, Arizona)
- Florida Atlantic University and Yale School of Nursing (Boca Raton, Florida)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (Baltimore, Maryland)
- The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio)
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama)
- University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
- University of California, Los Angeles Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs (Los Angeles, California)
- University of Florida, Office of Interprofessional Education (Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Florida)
- University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas)
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine/Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital (New York, New York)
- The Wright Center for Community Health (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
Next Steps
The Implementation Pilot Project will culminate in a final knowledge sharing convening in Washington, D.C., that will bring together representatives from the pilot sites and leaders across health professions education and training, health care delivery, and policy. The convening will showcase key findings from the Implementation Pilot Project and identify opportunities for broader uptake of the Framework.
About the Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises
The Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises brings together key stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to proactively drive structural change by developing, curating, and implementing multi-sector solutions and tools designed to reduce substance misuse and improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by addiction. For questions about the Action Collaborative, contact opioidcollaborative@nas.edu.
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