Supporting Perinatal Patients with Substance Use Disorder

Activity Information

From June 2020 to June 2022, the Weitzman Institute, in collaboration with Yale School of Medicine, designed and delivered Project ECHO Support Models for Addiction Related Treatment (SMART). The live, virtual ECHO program met once per month to connect obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) who serve perinatal patients with substance use disorders, with a specific focus on opioid use disorders, to a team of physicians with subject matter expertise in psychiatry, perinatal and pediatric mental health, addiction medicine, and prenatal care.

After the live ECHO program series concluded, Weitzman Institute and Yale adapted the Project ECHO content into brief, engaging e-learning modules in order to reach a broader audience. Each module contains video, audio, and text-based content from one or more live sessions and concludes with a real, anonymized case study.

Each module takes approximately 45 minutes (0.75 credits) to complete and the topics are as follows:

An introduction to the management of substance use disorder in pregnancy
A timeline for starting buprenorphine during pregnancy
Psychiatric comorbidities in perinatal patients with substance use disorder
Equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed approaches in perinatal mental health care
Postpartum concerns and transition of care in patients with substance use disorder

Learners are encouraged to complete all five modules, but it is not required. All module content and associated CME/CE credits are available free of charge.

Acknowledgement of Support

This activity was made in collaboration with Yale School of Medicine with funding through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Award MAT-2018C2-12891. The views and statements presented in this work are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of PCORI.

Target Audience

This activity is appropriate for providers who care for perinatal patients.

Overall Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to...

Assess perinatal patients for substance use disorder and psychiatric comorbidities using validated screening tools
Discuss the risks and benefits of medications that treat opioid use disorder and mental health
Develop a treatment plan in collaboration with perinatal patients to manage substance use disorders and/or psychiatric comorbidities
Apply trauma-informed care practices to provide equitable and compassionate care for all patients
Provide guidance and patient support for postpartum concerns related to maternal and infant health and transition of care

Activity summary

Available credit:

3.75 AAPA Category I CME
Through Joint Accreditation, Moses/Weitzman Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute is able to provide American Academy of PAs (AAPA) credit to physician assistants at its activities. Participants should only claim commensurate credit with the extent of their participation in the activity.
3.75 ACE/ASWB
Through Joint Accreditation Moses/Weitzman Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute is able to provide Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) credit to social workers at its activities.
3.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Through Joint Accreditation, Moses/Weitzman Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute is able to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ to physicians at its activities via Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
3.75 ANCC
Through Joint Accreditation, Moses/Weitzman Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute is able to provide American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) nursing credit to nurses at its activities.
3.75 APA
Through Joint Accreditation, Moses/Weitzman Health Center, Inc./Weitzman Institute is able to provide American Psychological Association (APA) credit to psychologists at its activities.
3.75 Participation Hour(s)
If you are not able to utilize any of the above credit types, you are able to download an unaccredited Participation Certificate for your records.

Activity opens:

11/01/2023

Activity expires:

12/31/2024

Faculty

Katherine Callaghan, MD, is the founder and director of UMass Memorial’s Karen W. Green Clinic for Pregnancy and Recovery. This multidisciplinary clinic provides comprehensive prenatal care and addiction treatment to women with a variety of substance use disorders. “The Green Clinic” seeks to optimize and integrate obstetrical & postpartum care, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), psychiatric services, peer support, and social work support to women in recovery, seeking recovery, or actively using substances. Since joining the OB/GYN Department at UMass Memorial in 2014, Dr. Callaghan has led a committee of nurses, pharmacists, addiction specialists, and administrators in drafting, finalizing, and implementing in-patient protocols for initiating MOUD in the pregnant patient, including both a methadone protocol and a buprenorphine protocol. These protocols have both improved and streamlined the process, making MOUD a readily available option for pregnant patients seeking care.

Leena Mittal, MD, is the Chief of the Division of Women's Mental Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She also serves as the Program Director for the Women's Mental Health Fellowship at the Brigham. Dr. Mittal has numerous publications and speaks nationally on the treatment of mental health and substance use conditions throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Dr. Mittal is board certified in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and addiction medicine. Additionally, Dr. Mittal is the Associate Medical Director for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms (MCPAP for Moms), an innovative statewide consultation service for providers seeing pregnant and postpartum women with mental health and substance use conditions.

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.

Planner(s)