Substance Use Disorder Community of Practice

SUD Systems and Evidence-Based Practices (EVP) Repository

The SUD Systems and Evidence-Based Practices (EVP) Repository (PDF) document provides links to SUD systems and EVP resources related to topics which have or will be addressed during the MN SUD CoP meetings, including Minnesota SUD treatment gaps, advocacy and community engagement, American Society Addiction Medicine (ASAM) levels of care, recovery community organizations and MN SUD CoP participating organizations, and more. This document will be updated monthly through the continuation of the MN SUD CoP period.

Community Advocacy Capacity-Building Strategy Report

Amongst other topics of interest, the CoP discussed methods for developing its members’ capacity for community advocacy. SUD community advocacy can be defined in various ways, but it typically involves individuals in the SUD space collaborating to share information, reduce stigma and other barriers, and influence how SUD is identified and treated. This report details how using and educating others on stigma-free language, individuals can begin to discuss challenges and identify solutions, understand recovery voices, and identify and create a network to support others in their recovery journey. The report also details national, state, and local SUD community advocacy networks, suggests resources for community advocates, and provides strategies to improve and expand community advocacy efforts.

Culturally Specific Care and Responsive Models of Care Report

The following report describes MN SUD CoP participants' input on the state of culturally specific and responsive care in Minnesota, current efforts by Minnesota organizations to improve culturally specific and responsive treatment, and recommendations for how Minnesota can continue to improve care. These include information on partnering with community-based organizations to develop a robust network of culturally responsive care organizations, standardized training on culturally specific care evidence-based practices and providing adequate family-based care. Implementation of these strategies and best practices are provided with the goal of improving comprehensive access to culturally competent and gender-specific care across Minnesota and improving outcomes for Minnesotans.

Treatment Outcome Gaps Summary, Strategies, & Recommendations Report

This report summarizes gaps in the Minnesota SUD treatment continuum identified by the CoP participants and provides recommendations to address those gaps. The identified gaps include but are not limited to a lack of culturally responsive and gender-specific care, lack of robust services in rural communities, difficulty transitioning between levels of SUD services, and incomplete integration of peers and other recovery supports into the treatment system. To address these gaps, the report also includes recommendations for systems, provider, and community responses to eliminate and/or mitigate those gaps using information gathered from the CoP, focus groups, and pre-CoP convenings, in addition to publicly available information. Strategies and recommendations include developing agencies to support community providers in delivering culturally competent care, expanding family-based treatment services, enhancing the SUD workforce through training and increased peer support integration, and improving funding models to incentivize high-quality, person-centered care. The recommendations aim to target the specific challenges identified in each gap area, offering a comprehensive approach to building a more accessible, equitable, and effective SUD treatment system in Minnesota. 

Background

What does a CoP do?
A CoP is a group of people with an interest and passion in a specific topic providing an opportunity to create, organize, revise, and share knowledge among members of the community. It encourages the translation of knowledge into action and provides a framework for information sharing, competence development, rich discussion, and mentoring; and creates, organizes, revises and shares knowledge among members of the community.

What will this SUD CoP do?
This CoP will consist of people who are engaged in the field of SUD treatment and prevention in any capacity including but not limited to individuals with lived experience, providers, family members, researchers, recovery peers and advocates. The group may issue reports and recommendations to the legislative chairs and ranking minorities of committees in both local and regional governments.

The SUD CoP will address the following:

1. Identify gaps in substance use disorder treatment services;
2. Enhance collective knowledge of issues related to substance use disorder;
3. Understand evidence-based practices, best practices, and promising approaches to address substance use disorder;
4. Use knowledge gathered through the community of practice to develop strategic plans to improve outcomes for individuals who participate in substance use disorder treatment and related services in Minnesota;
5. Increase knowledge about the challenges and opportunities learned by implementing strategies;
6. Develop capacity for community advocacy

CoP Member Expectations

The CoP will meet on a regular basis along with smaller working groups. Participants can attend as:

• Full Contributing CoP Members: Participation and input is expected in each full CoP meeting (monthly for the first three months and then quarterly for ~1.5 years) and includes completion of pre- or post-meeting work
• Specialty CoP Contributor: Participation and input is expected in meetings or workgroups focused on an area of interest or expertise and includes completion of associated pre- or post-meeting work
• Public attendee: Participation in meetings as desired with input reserved to the open-meeting discussion portion of the meeting agenda

Full or Specialty CoP members who have accessed SUD treatment services or have lived experience may be eligible for a stipend of up to $55 per meeting to compensate for their meeting time and related expenses. Individuals would not be eligible for a stipend if you are otherwise paid to participate in the CoP (i.e., attending on behalf of your employer).

Legislative Language

The commissioner of human services, in consultation with substance use disorder subject matter experts, shall establish a substance use disorder community of practice. The purposes of the community of practice are to improve treatment outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders and reduce disparities by using evidence-based and best practices through peer-to-peer and person-to-provider sharing. (Minnesota Statutes 2021, Chapter 254B.151)

Planning Meetings and Resources

Planning meetings for the CoP were conducted from May to November 2022 to initiate a dialogue and to seek feedback on specific aspects of this venture. Summaries and presentations from the planning meetings are provided below.

Contact Information

For more information about upcoming meetings or the SUD Community of Practice, contact mnsudcop@healthmanagement.com