News & Updates Webinar

Webinar: Racial Disparities in Accessing Evidence-Based OUD Treatment and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic (7/16/2020)

July 07, 2020

Thank you to all those who have joined us in previous webinars in our ongoing series “FORE’s COVID-19 National Emergency Response: Maintaining Access to MOUD.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent events have magnified the existing racial and ethnic disparities in our healthcare systems, including in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. While our understanding of and ability to treat OUD has progressed over the past decade, the benefits of this shift have not been made equally available to all who need it. Black Americans are much less likely than their white counterparts to receive treatment for their opioid use disorder, even though both groups are affected at similar rates, and in 2016, fatal opioid overdoses among Black Americans were nearly double that of the general population. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to further exacerbate these disparities.

Please join us on Thursday, July 16th at 3pm EST as we welcome…

  • Helena Hansen, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Departments of Anthropology and Psychiatry, New York University
  • Hansel Tookes, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
  • Morgan Medlock, MD, MDiv, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and Director of Emergency Services, District of Columbia Dept. of Behavioral Health

… as they lead a discussion on racial and ethnic disparities in accessing evidence-based OUD treatment, the impact of the pandemic, and potential solutions towards a more equitable system of care. An open Q&A session will follow the presentation.

We continue to invite you to look at our Resources page for the most up-to-date information and guidance. You can view a recording of our previous webinars below. As always, please reach out with questions and/or resources that you believe would benefit others.