AMERSA Talks

Medications methadone and buprenorphine – are the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder. Decades of evidence show that they treat acute withdrawal and cravings, improve quality of life, reduce risk for HIV and hepatitis C, reduce overdose, and reduce risk of drug-related and all-cause mortality. Yet in the US, fewer than 1 in 5 people with OUD accesses them.

In the US, Methadone is regulated unlike any other medication, ...

This episode explores the Addiction Care Team Nurse Liaison Program (ACTNLP), a program that equips hospital nurses with substance use disorder (SUD) training to reduce stigma and improve outcomes for patients with SUD. Developed within an urban safety-net hospital, the program includes didactics, precepting with addiction specialists, and community site visits. Participants become SUD champions, educators, and leaders on their uni...

In this episode, host Dr. Tim Kummer is joined by Holly Drone, EMS Pharmacist, and Jackson Thiets, paramedic and buprenorphine advocate with the Hennepin EMS Bridge Program. Together, they share the journey of implementing a paramedic-driven buprenorphine protocol, the lessons learned from their first year, and how the program has evolved to include holistic post-overdose care. The conversation highlights barriers faced, culture sh...

This episode will focus on the outreach and support service efforts within MATTERS that address barriers to treatment for opioid use disorder. While MATTERS is widely recognized for its harm reduction efforts, this episode will dig deeper into the essential support structures that make treatment more accessible, which can enhance the likelihood of a successful connection once referrals are made.

The episode will cover how the progra...

The Program for Education in Drugs and Alcohol for Latine (PEDAL) is an example of a partnership between community-based organizations and addiction medicine clinicians. In this episode the guest discuss their collaboration to co-develop a training program for promotores, also known as community health workers, to address unhealthy substance use in the Latine community, offering a model for building workforce capacity to address in...

This episode explores the "contagious" nature of stigma in substance use disorders (SUDs), revealing how shame and discrimination spread beyond the 45-50 million Americans with SUDs to affect an estimated 45-300 million family members. While stigma's impact on individuals with SUDs is well-documented, this conversation spotlights how families become "stigmatized by association," driving them "undergrou...

In this episode, Teetotal Initiative will provide insight into an innovative and underexplored but critical component of recovery: the impact of social interaction on recovery capital ecosystems and prevention of return to use. Despite its importance, organizing substance-free events for the community as a recovery tool is underutilized, leaving a gap in day-to-day sober- and recovery-oriented quality of life. This episode highligh...

In this episode, we dive into why language in client and patient records matters—and how it can shape care experiences. We explore practical ways to use non-stigmatizing language in health records and discuss the role of electronic health record (EHR) in shaping documentation. Who designs these systems, and how can they be improved? We also examine real-world case scenarios where stigmatizing notes have had lasting impacts on indiv...

Redemption stories in recovery are often more harmful than helpful. 

We’ve all absorbed the War on Drugs narrative—but even well-intended stories about substance use often reinforce stigma. In this episode, Meghann Perry and Dr. Dani Snyder-Young explore how internalized shame shapes personal and public storytelling, influencing care access and policy. They discuss research and applied storytelling techniques that shift the dominant...

 In San Antonio, HIV is treated with love, not judgment—and it’s working. 

We will discuss how stigma: 1) contributes to HIV acquisition, 2) prevents people living with HIV from seeking and remaining in care, and 3) effective, evidence-based strategies for mitigating stigma. We will explore effective ways to reach, support, and treat individuals who use substances, who are at a high risk for acquiring HIV and, once acquired, falling...

Addiction care in the ER isn’t just about patients—it’s about fixing medicine itself.

Emergency Department Bridge Programs allow ED physicians to connect patients in the ED with comprehensive addiction care. While the benefits of bridge programs for patients with opioid use disorder are known, what’s less understood is how these programs affect the lives of the providers themselves. For a paper published in Academic Emergency Medici...

Turns out, the most powerful tool against addiction stigma might just be someone society once gave up on.

Despite significant advancements in addiction treatment, stigma remains one of the greatest barriers to care for individuals struggling with substance use disorder (SUD). Among healthcare professionals, stigma can manifest in ways that impact patient outcomes, access to care, and overall recovery success. This episode...

We’ve been blaming Appalachia for a healthcare crisis it didn’t create. 

Addiction in Appalachia isn’t what you think. This episode unpacks the nuanced reality of substance use disorder in a region that’s been stereotyped, ignored, and misunderstood for too long. Through powerful stories and clear strategies, it reveals how healthcare professionals, community leaders, and people with lived experience are fighting against s...

We don’t have a drug crisis—we have a policy crisis. 

In episode one, Allyson Pinkhover, MPH, CPhT, CHO and Dr. Joe Wright explore some of the ways that urban planning, zoning, policing, and the location of addiction services combine to create or enforce a geography of containment. In Boston, Wright argues, land prices and the politics of what another scholar describes as “complaint-oriented policing” led to a smaller and smaller ar...