Together, the organizations will develop and design an intervention that reduces addiction stigma

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex and often stigmatized health condition that affects countless individuals, families and communities. Stigma against people with a SUD extends beyond individual and interpersonal levels. The Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index (SASI) found that healthcare professionals hold similar stigmatizing beliefs toward someone with a SUD. Specifically, 65% of healthcare professionals falsely believe that a SUD isn't a chronic disease.

Healthcare professional stigma is driven by inadequate education, training and lack of support in working with individuals with SUDs, which manifests as discrimination and substandard care. To address addiction stigma among healthcare professionals, Shatterproof, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction health crisis, is teaming up with Anthem Blue Cross Foundation to bring additional learning to the healthcare community, reduce stigma of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and improve quality of care. The partners will disseminate an educational curriculum centered around substance use and the impact of intersectional stigma.

Through this partnership, the organizations developed an educational curriculum, A Provider's Pathway to Supporting Patients with Substance Use Disorder, to help remove stigma as a barrier to people's ability to receive evidence-based treatment for a SUD. Additionally, healthcare professionals will be equipped to provide culturally responsive care for communities that have been marginalized in the U.S. healthcare system. This version of the training will focus on the Hispanic/Latino community. In California alone, the Hispanic/Latino population overdose fatality rate was 5.5 times higher from 2016 to 2020. Specifically, Kern County landed in the top quartile of overdose fatality rates in the state between 2018 and 2020, at 30.6 per 100,000 people. Additionally, Kern County is in the top quartile in the state for the adult (18-64) Hispanic/Latino population at 32%, and scores high on the CDC's Social Vulnerability Index. These factors make Kern County a viable candidate for curriculum dissemination.  

The curriculum will be shared with medical doctors and primary care physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, doctors of osteopathic medicine, and physician assistants, so they can gain a better understanding of how best to address and care for people's unique treatment needs. Practitioners will access the curriculum through an online platform, and recruitment will be conducted through a multi-prong strategy including professional associations and local healthcare systems.

To measure the efficacy of the curriculum, providers will participate in pre- and post-curriculum surveys. The curriculum is accredited by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and providers will receive eight no-cost continuing medical education (CME) or continuing education (CE) credits upon completing the course. Clinicians who take the curriculum will demonstrate their commitment to improving the quality of care provided to patients with SUDs while helping to advance SUD-related research.

"Healthcare professional stigma further disadvantages populations who have less access to care and support," said Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof. "In the United States, intersections between race/ethnicity, health inequities and substance use are well-documented. For example, Hispanic/Latino individuals needing SUD treatment (21%) are less likely to receive care compared to non-Hispanic/Latino individuals (25%). In partnership with Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, Shatterproof will better the lives of people in recovery, people who use drugs, and people seeking treatment for substance use disorders."

The funding for the partnership is through the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the Elevance Health Foundation. This work is part of a larger commitment of $30 million dedicated by Elevance Health Foundation to support programs that address mental health, with an emphasis on substance use disorder. Each program the Foundation invests in will focus on one of the following goals: prevention and early intervention of risk factors that lead to SUDs, improved access and quality of treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality of those with SUDs, and community support to promote lifelong recovery.

"Anthem Blue Cross recognizes the long-standing racial and health inequities in our healthcare system and our society as a whole," said Les Ybarra, president, Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Health Plan. "With support through our Foundation, we are working with Shatterproof to address the social drivers and factors creating these disparities to develop sustainable change for how healthcare practitioners treat substance use disorders and ensure all communities have access to recovery and ongoing support."

About Shatterproof
Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S.  Shatterproof is focused on guiding communities, removing systematic barriers to recovery, mobilizing the country to advocate for change, and ending addiction stigma in the U.S. Find Shatterproof on Facebook, X and YouTube: @ShatterproofHQ or follow them on Instagram at @weareshatterproof. To learn more, visit www.Shatterproof.org. If you are experiencing anxiety, depression or a substance use disorder, text HELLO to 741741 for help.

About Shatterproof Treatment Atlas 
The first resource in the United States to offer many unique features, Treatment Atlas is a confidential, free-to-the-public, nonprofit platform that is publicly available to help people find and compare addiction treatment facilities for SUDs, including alcohol and drugs, so they can make informed decisions for their care. People with a SUD or their loved ones can search the online platform based on criteria, such as location, use of best practices, types of treatment offered, accepted insurers, payment options, specialty populations served, and patient experiences. The platform is currently live in 14 states, including California, and offers a comprehensive list of addiction treatment providers across each respective state, including inpatient, residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient sites of care. People can also answer ten anonymous questions that assess an individual's risk and severity to get initial guidance on which addiction treatment options might be best for them. The online screener to assist in guiding the public to the appropriate type of care is informed and endorsed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Treatment Atlas includes multilingual education, public awareness, and training materials available in several languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and Creole. Region-specific materials are created to meet unique community needs, and provider profiles on Treatment Atlas list if services are provided in other languages.

About Unshame California
The Unshame California campaign is part of the Shatterproof National Stigma Initiative working to change that by sharing stories of Californians impacted by SUDs that inspire compassion and hope. The campaign is informed by community members and aims to ensure representation and engagement are reflective of California's extraordinary diversity. Unshame California will offer monthly webinars with information, resources, and/or training related to, or promoting addiction stigma reduction. Unshame California is available in English and Spanish.

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SOURCE Shatterproof