The use—even one time—of any of the substances. Substances are psychoactive compounds with the potential to cause health and social problems, including substance use disorders (and their most severe manifestation, addiction). Substances are categorized as alcohol (i.e., beer, wine, liquor; illicit drugs (i.e., cocaine, heroin); prescription-type medications that are used for nonmedical purposes (i.e., pain relievers) and over-the-counter drugs or other substances (i.e., cough and cold medicines, inhalants; Office of the Surgeon General, 2016 ).
Published in Chapter:
Innovative Adaptation of Training and Technical Assistance: Education for the Behavioral Health Workforce
Holly N. Hagle (School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA), Yifei Liu (School of Pharmacy, University of Missouri-Kansas City, USA), Deena M. Murphy (Deem Research, Inc., USA), and Laurie Krom (School of Nursing and Health Studies, University of Missouri, Kansas City, USA)
Copyright: © 2022
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7623-6.ch011
Abstract
The behavioral health workforce is pivotal to provide evidence-based services (EBPs) for patients with mental illnesses or substance use disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing healthcare issues for these patients and highlighted the need for a well-trained workforce. The stay-at-home orders compelled a rapid transition to delivering behavioral health services from traditional face-to-face encounters to telehealth/telecommunication services. Training and technical assistance (TTA) networks supporting the behavioral health workforce's educational needs quickly moved to virtual delivery. This shift has resulted in innovations and adaptations categorized into four areas: adapting is crucial, convening stakeholders is essential, resources (human and technological) are needed, and community involvement is integral. Future TTA efforts should focus on sharing the successful virtual adaptations to EBPs.