CFHA’s technical assistance partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts examined how federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) identify, engage, and treat patients with polysubstance use (PSU). The PEW-funded project combined landscape analysis, in-depth site visits and interviews, case studies from participating health centers, expert interviews, and a stakeholder convening to produce a summary report and practical TA resources for FQHCs and policy audiences. This session will present key findings from the work, describe replicable clinical and operational approaches for FQHCs, and offer an interactive discussion of TA tools CFHA developed to support implementation and scale-up. Polysubstance use is increasingly common in primary care panels and presents clinical, workflow, financing, and workforce challenges. FQHCs need practical, turnaround-ready strategies and targeted technical assistance to integrate PSU screening, intervention, medication and psychosocial treatments into team-based care.
Marci Nielsen
Jeff Reiter, PhD ABPP
Zachary Sartor, MD, FAAFP
Neftali Serrano, PsyD
Elizabeth Zeidler-Schreiter, PsyD
Hassan Ahmed, N., & Le Foll, B. (2024). Prevalence of comorbid substance use disorders among people with opioid use disorder: A systematic review & meta-analysis. International Journal of Drug Policy, 128, Article 104420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104420
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2024). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP24-07-021, NSDUH Series H-59). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
Bunting, A. M., Shearer, R., Linden-Carmichael, A. N., Williams, A. R., Comer, S. D., Cerdá, M., & Lorvick, J. (2024). Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Defining what we mean by "polysubstance use." American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 50(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2023.2248360.