HOPE
is here.

For healthcare settings without an on-site pharmacy, including withdrawal management services; clinical stabilization services; transitional support services; residential support services; Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP); outpatient services; and freestanding psychiatric hospitals:

• Memo: Dispensation of Opioid Antagonists for Overdose Reversal Upon Treatment Discharge: This is a memo from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS). It explains a new law that starts on July 1, 2025 that says that healthcare programs, including substance use treatment programs, must give patients who have experienced overdose and/or have a history of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) naloxone when they leave care. This medicine helps reverse opioid overdoses.
• Resource Implementation Guide
• TRAIN: On-demand virtual training that covers workflow and protocols, methods to implement requirements in a financially sustainable way, and documentation requirements. The training is intended for program directors, clinical directors, and medication specialists.

For Emergency Departments (ED) with a hospital pharmacy; ambulatory sites with a collocated outpatient or retail pharmacy; and ambulatory sites without a collocated outpatient or retail pharmacy:

• Resource Implementation Guide

For hospital settings:

• Resource Guide: An overview of payment opportunities for substance use disorder services furnished to MassHealth Members in hospital settings.

The following organizations and training resources offer regular trainings related to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, harm reduction, recovery, and behavioral health topics, either no cost or reduced cost for BSAS contracted programs.

• Careers of Substance Training Calendar lists trainings available for all programs and provider types. The search can be filtered by BSAS-funded trainings. BSAS funded trainings listed on the Careers of Substance Calendar include the providers below.
• Health Resources in Action (HRiA):
  • YouCan.info: Videos about responding to an overdose including using naloxone and providing rescue breathing.
  • BeHere Training: Focus on behavioral health topics to advance health equity in the SUD training space.
• Grayken Center for Addiction Training & Technical Assistance offers free services to medical staff, Community Health Centers (CHCs) and other health and social service providers on evidence-based, comprehensive care for treatment of substance use disorders.
• Institute for Health and Recovery (IHR) provides both self-paced and live online trainings that promote and sustain individual and organizational capacity to deliver trauma-informed care, person-centered care, promote recovery, wellness, and equity. Also provides technical assistance as needed.
• AdCare Educational Institute (ADEPT) provides training to support substance use prevention, intervention and treatment communities to increase awareness and provide knowledge and skills to service providers.
• SADOD provides resources, information, and assistance to people throughout Massachusetts who have been affected by the death of someone they care about from a substance-use-related cause. They focus on increasing the capacity and effectiveness of peer grief support for bereaved people, direct service providers, and people in recovery or struggling with drug use.
• Massachusetts Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Training & Technical Assistance (MASBIRT TTA) provides training, coaching, and implementation and systems change consultation for healthcare, behavioral health, human service, public health and education professionals statewide.
• Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network works to advance our nation’s health by equipping healthcare professionals and community organizations with effective tools to address individuals, children, and families impacted by alcohol and drug use. ATTC builds local capacity of the behavioral health workforce resulting in treatment that leads to long-term recovery and people becoming contributing members of society as quickly as possible.

• Opioid Treatment Program Training and Technical Assistance (OTP TTA) Center provides OTP staff with the support they need to enhance care delivery, implement evidence-based practices, and address challenges in their programs.
• Opioid Abatement Partnership Training and Technical Assistance provides training and technical assistance to municipalities receiving opioid settlement funds. It aids municipalities in building their capacity so that they’re able to uphold the terms of State Subdivision Agreement.
• Hospital Training and Technical Assistance (website coming soon) provides training and technical assistance on best and emerging practices in the treatment and care for people with substance use disorder in hospital settings. Hospital TTA is based at Boston Medical Center and works closely with BSAS to offer training and technical assistance to hospitals and hospital systems who have been funded to establish and/or expand Hospital Addiction Care Teams and/or Bridge Clinics statewide. Training and consultation opportunities can also be made available to other hospitals in MA seeking to improve and develop the addiction care they provide. The goals of BSAS’ hospital funding initiative are to increase access to integrated hospital-based substance use disorder services, ensure ongoing linkages to care and community-based follow-up, reduce overdose deaths and promote wellness and long-term recovery.
• EMO Health supports clinicians and direct care staff to increase their capacity for and comfort in, using best practices to manage the medications of individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.
• In addition to offering a wide range of trainings, Grayken Center for Addiction Training & Technical Assistance offers technical assistance to providers of medication for addiction treatment, especially those working in Office Based Addiction Treatment programs.

• The Institute for Health and Recovery (IHR) provides online and on-site crisis response services to BSAS funded organizations.  The purpose of this initiative is to support staff and help them recover as quickly as possible after a critical incident.

• Community Drug Supply Alerts communicate about substances found in the drug supply that have concerning negative health impacts and how to reduce them. These documents are public facing. Alerts are meant to inform community members, especially providers and community organizations that work with people who use drugs.

• Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream see drug sample, request technical assistance, and locate community resources in Massachusetts