Resources for Providers
Why Health Care Providers Need to Understand SUD
Reduce stigma
- Knowledge about substance use disorder helps providers recognize it is a chronic medical condition, not a moral failing. This reduces stigma, promotes compassionate care and encourages patients to seek help without fear of judgment.
| Background | Stigmatizing Terms | Medically Accurate or Preferred Terms |
|---|---|---|
|
User Addict Substance abuser Substance user Junkie |
Person with a substance abuse disorder (SUD) |
|
Alcoholic |
Person with alcohol use disorder (AUD) | |
|
Dirty Failed a drug test |
Tested Positive (on a screen) |
|
Abuse | Use (for illicit drugs) Misuse (for prescription medications used other than prescribed) |
Improve access to care
- When providers understand evidence-based treatments and feel confident in managing SUD, they are more likely to screen, diagnose and treat/refer patients appropriately. This directly increases access to lifesaving services such as medication-assisted treatment, counseling, and recovery supports.
Find the help your patients need with this list of substance use disorder facilities in the Wichita area.
Directory of Substance Use Disorder resources in Kansas - coming soon!
Watch Dr. Tim Scanlan discuss what you can expect as a physician when you provide medication assisted treatment (MAT) for patients with substance use disorders:
Dr. Tim Scanlan explains what patients can expect when they begin medication assisted treatment (MAT). Consider sharing this resource with patients:
Consider using the guides below for a step-by-step guide to starting your patients on medication assisted treatment:
Everyone has a role
SUD touches nearly every area of health care – from primary care and emergency departments to behavioral health, obstetrics and pharmacy. Every provider has a role in early identification, intervention and creating a welcoming, non-stigmatizing environment.
Substance Use Screening Flowchart PDF
In this video, Chad Harmon (CEO of the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas) discusses screening and early inventions for substance use disorder:
Videos and Webinars
- One Moment of Courage video: This video illustrates how a single compassionate, nonjudgmental conversation can give someone the courage to seek help for substance use and show loved ones how their words and presence can be a bridge to recovery.
- K-TRACS video: This video highlights how K-TRACS helps providers make informed clinical decisions, identify potential risk factors, support patient education, and reduce opioid misuse and overdose risk through safer prescribing practices.
- Curiosity in Care Part 1: In this video, Tessa Schnelle, a director of pharmacy and Kansas Pharmacy Foundation president, provides guidance for health care professionals to build trust with patients with substance use disorder by communicating with curiosity and without judgment.
- Curiosity in Care Part 2: In this video, Jennifer Brady (clinical care manager, Substance Abuse Center of Kansas) shares her lived experience with substance use disorder to help providers better understand patient perspectives, build empathy and deliver care that is more compassionate, respectful and effective.
- Essentials of MAT in Practice: In this video, Dr. Daniel Warren (Addiction Medicine) provides health care professionals with practical guidance on using FDA‑approved medications for substance use disorders, including how to initiate, monitor and integrate medication‑assisted treatment within whole‑patient, behavioral health–informed care.
- Kratom information for clinicians: In this video, Dr. Luke Rosebraugh, addiction medicine fellow, equips health care professionals to recognize 7-OH kratom use, understand its risks and withdrawal symptoms, ask nonjudgmental screening questions, and apply evidence informed strategies to treat 7-OH kratom use disorder.
- Kratom information for non-clinicians: In this video, Dr. Luke Rosebraugh, addiction medicine fellow, explains what 7‑OH kratom is, where it comes from, why it can be dangerous, and how people who use it can be identified and supported in safer, more effective ways.
Additional Resources
Partner links
- DCCCA, Inc. provides social and community services across Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri that improve the safety, health and well-being of those we serve.
- Kansas Board of Pharmacy - K-TRACS is the prescription drug monitoring program that helps health care providers prioritize patient safety.
- Kansas Hospital Association is the lead organization in a group of companies and affiliates that provides a wide array of services to the hospitals of Kansas and the Midwest region.
Resource links
- Practitioners are required to complete a one-time, eight-hour training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders for their DEA registration. Use this list to find training that will meet the DEA requirement.
- The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coalition of Wichita and Sedgwick County has created this Connect ICT dashboard that allows users to find substance abuse and mental health providers for free or at reduced rates.
- The Providers Clinical Support System-Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (PCSS-MOUD) provides multidisciplinary training, guidance, mentorship and implementation support at no cost to health care and behavioral health professionals to increase knowledge, skills and confidence in providing evidence-based practices in the prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction of OUD.
- Kansas Fights Addiction
- In 2021, the Kansas Legislature passed the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, authorizing the state to use money recovered by the Attorney General’s Office through the settlements to tackle substance use disorders (SUD) and help ensure prevention and treatment services are provided throughout the state. For more information, go to the Sunflower Foundation's Kansas Fight Addiciton site.
- SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) Oregon is a free resource with training and guides to implement SBIRT at the SBIRT Oregon site