Name
Polysubstance Use at the Frontline: Lessons from CFHA’s PEW-Funded FQHC Case Studies
Description

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.

Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Policy and Systems Change, Substance abuse management, Team-based care
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Describe the changing epidemiology of the substance abuse epidemic.
Objective 2
Detail clinical and systems strategies for making treatment of substance use disorders routine in primary care.
Objective 3
List policy recommendations for enabling the expansion of primary care treatment of substance use disorders.
Content Reference 1

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

Content Reference 2

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/

Content Reference 3

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.