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Provider Digest | Volume 80

Date: 05/10/23

Clinician Alert from Tri-County Public Health: Xylazine in Portland Area

Xylazine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist veterinary tranquilizer that is increasingly present in the illicit drug supply, is not approved by the FDA for human use. Xylazine has recently been confirmed to have contributed to a Portland area fatal overdose in late 2022. Although there have been limited positive xylazine tests in the Portland metro area to date, with the recently confirmed xylazine-involved overdose fatality being the second for Multnomah County, this drug remains a risk to our community.

Providers can help prepare for and respond to xylazine in our community by:

  1. Understanding the health risks and medical response to xylazine-related overdose, wounds, and dependence.
  2. Educating individuals and the community about xylazine, how to reduce risk of xylazine-associated morbidity and mortality, and how to respond to overdoses potentially involving xylazine.

Read the full Clinician Alert to learn more.

Resources:   

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OHA's Partner Resources to Help Support Oregonians as PHE Ends

As the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency comes to an end, Trillium would like to collaborate with you to ensure our members – and all Oregonians who have been accessing medical and food benefits – understand how the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) are working together to prepare for these upcoming changes with the goal of preserving benefits for individuals and families. 

To learn more, register for OHA's Partner Webinar Series. The series is available in English and Spanish and will cover how partners can help people receiving OHP or ODHS benefits to prepare for potential changes. Past webinar materials will be posted online. 

You can also sign up for OHA's Keep Covered newsletter, a partner newsletter about changes coming for people with Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and other benefits, including services and supports for people with disabilities and older adults, and food benefits.

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Free Suicide Prevention Training for Students & Newly Practicing Clinicians

Suicide is a growing public health crisis, and medical students and other clinicians in training who will be entering the primary care space are likely to encounter patients at risk for suicide. Nearly half of individuals who end their lives by suicide visit a primary care provider in the month before their passing, making primary care visits crucial opportunities to intervene. In collaboration with Centene and co-hosted by the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) and the American Association of Teaching Health Centers, this free webinar will support newly practicing clinicians and clinicians in training with practical tools/tips for suicide prevention.

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved has developed a new “Quick Tips” guide to help prepare clinicians in training—as well as residents and other newly practicing clinicians—with simple, practical strategies and micro-interventions that can be seamlessly incorporated into any primary care visit. Join nationally known suicide prevention expert Dr. Virna Little in exploring these quick, evidence-based strategies to help prepare students—or refresh practicing clinicians—in identifying, assessing, and intervening with patients at risk for suicide.

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