Guide

The Opioid-Overdose Reduction Continuum of Care Approach is a guide for policymakers for implementing evidence-based strategies that address opioid overdose.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) now has the "Engaging Community Coalitions to Decrease Opioid Overdose Deaths Practice Guide" available, as a product of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS).

The Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions (funded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and operated by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing) and the School-Based Health Alliance now has a guide to help mental health organizations have successful partnerships with schools as a way to help the mental health and substance use care for K-12 students. The guide provides information to consider, as well as resource recommendations.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Institute of Corrections published the Guidelines for Managing Substance Withdrawal in Jails: A Tool for Local Government Officials, Jail Administrators, Correctional Officers, and Health Care Professionals to help increase access to evidence-based treatment for individuals with SUD and those who are at risk for overdose. There is a high prevalence of SUD among individuals who are incarcerated. Withdrawal while incarcerated is less discussed, but still poses a risk for individuals. The guidelines were created to help jail administrators protect the health and rights of people incarcerated.

The Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach was developed by SAMHSA. The guide focuses on tools and strategies for implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach across ten domains.

The North Carolina Emergency Department (ED) Peer Support Program enables participating North Carolina hospitals to embed certified peer support specialists in their emergency departments to connect patients presenting with opioid overdose to treatment, recovery, resources and harm reduction supports. This guide is a tool for introducing an ED peer support program in a hospital setting.

Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS), a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-funded grant initiative, announced the release of Practice-Based Guidelines: Buprenorphine in the Age of Fentanyl. The guide gives practitioners a blueprint on treating fentanyl use disorder based on available research combined with emerging clinical experience on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of individuals using fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids.

These guides from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) highlights strategies for behavioral health and housing providers to conduct outreach and engage with individuals experiencing homelessness, initiate use of behavioral health treatment as they wait to receive stable housing and retain them in their recovery efforts once housed.

The Community Engagement: An Essential Component of an Effective and Equitable Substance Use Prevention System guide was prepared for SAMHSA. The guide focuses on community engagement to bring together skills, knowledge, and experience which can help in evidence-based programs and policies.

The guide on People First Language can help when using respectful language and referring to people with disabilities, as enacted by the District of Columba on July 11, 2006. “People First Language” (PFL) puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is.