Course 4SUD - Surviving the Opioid Overdose - But Now What?

Course overview

The course is FREE with an unlimited Annual Subscription for only $49. Otherwise it is $21. This 'Course 4SUD, Surviving the Overdose, But Now What?' is sponsored online by CEU By Net. It deals with the Distinct Population of people who have survived a near-fatal drug overdose but are not yet ready for absinance. The course earns 4 Clock Hours of credit for multiple National and State Mental Health and Addiction Licensing and Certification Boards including NBCC, NAADAC, and IC&RC. The material in this sponsored course is newly revised and published in 2024 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The training document contains two sections, both of which are published by SAMHSA. The publication focuses on the essential discharge activity and the immediate follow-up actions that are necessary when individuals and their family or friends leave the ER following survival of a near-death overdose, to prevent the risk of re-overdose and fatality. The discharge protocol may or may not include a plan for abstinence or connection to a SUD treatment program because, as the publication emphasizes, many people may not choose abstinence and are not ready for SUD treatment interventions despite their near-death experience. This course addresses how we can support and keep all overdose survivors SAFE through Harm Reduction planning, however that may be defined by the individual. The second section of the course, the Toolkit, provides enlightening information about Opioids including Fentanyl that are causing thousands of deaths annually, and other drugs and lethal combinations such as cocaine and methamphetamines that are also increasingly responsible for fatal overdoses. The information addresses the physical impact of the various drugs and the critical signs (including cessation of breathing) of impending fatal overdose, plus the steps to take when witnessing and responding to an overdose, including restoration of breathing and the administration of Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications (OORM) such as naloxone. The inevitable physical experience of acute withdrawal and some ways to safely reduce the impact are also addressed. GOALS OF THIS COURSE 1. Know the immediate and subsequent actions that are necessary when individuals and their family or friends leave the ER after a near-death overdose, including connecting them to people and practices that reduce the risk of re-overdose and fatality. 2. Learn how to support and keep overdose survivors SAFE with Harm Reduction planning, however that is defined by the individual, which may or may not include abstinence or participation in a SUD treatment program. 3. Understand the nature of the physical impact on the body of the various opioid and stimulant drugs and the critical signs (including cessation of breathing) of an impending fatal overdose. 4. Know how to use a lifesaving Opioid Overdose Reversal Medication (OORM) kit, including when and how to administer the medication (by injection or nasal spray), when to repeat a dose, and what to do after breath is restored. 5. Learn the physical impact on the body associated with the various lifesaving Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications (OORMs), and ways to possibly reduce the severity of the associated withdrawal experience. 6. Know why a community approach to post-overdose recovery is essential, and how to facilitate it. 7. Learn the unique issues associated with Prescription Opioids and how to help patients develop a personal plan to maintain including, the response to changes in pain levels due to medication tolerance. 8. Have immediate access to multiple resources recommended by SAMHSA, via active links.