The Health Care Authority (HCA) and Department of Health (DOH) are equipping health care providers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel with practical, research-based resources to expand treatment access and reduce overdose deaths.
The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) and Department of Health (DOH) just released a new resource library to help health care providers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel build knowledge and confidence to prescribe and administer medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).
Powerful MOUD like buprenorphine and methadone can help manage opioid withdrawals and cravings and cut opioid-related deaths by half. Yet, these medications remain underused across the medical community.
The new MOUD resource library gives Washington providers practical, easy-to-follow guidance for discussing and providing MOUD to their patients, which helps break down common barriers to treatment like stigma and lack of information. HCA and DOH has also launched an awareness campaign to connect providers to training, clinical support, and patient education materials.
“Despite the proven effectiveness of MOUD, many providers still hesitate to raise the option with patients, often because of uncertainty about how to approach the conversation,” said HCA’s Jessica Blose, Washington State’s opioid treatment authority. “These resources are designed to give health care providers and EMS personnel the knowledge, tools, and expertise they need to make MOUD a routine, life-saving part of care.”
Provider hesitation around MOUD often stems from a lack of information and comfort with the medications, as well as past barriers to prescribing. Until 2023, providers needed special training and registration to prescribe MOUD. The requirement, known as the X-Waiver, was removed by the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act of 2023, making MOUD far more accessible.
The new resource library, hosted at ScalaNW.org/MOUD, includes:
- Brief guides, videos, and printable tools that dispel common myths about MOUD.
- Conversation prompts and quick reference sheets tailored for busy medical settings.
- Testimonials from clinicians and first responders across Washington who share their experiences discussing, prescribing, and managing MOUD.
“Every day, health care providers and first responders have the chance to change the course of someone’s life,” said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, State Health Officer at DOH. “These new tools help providers and first responders meet people with opioid use disorder (OUD) where they are with compassion and evidence-based treatment that will save lives and open doors to recovery. Expanding access to these treatments will improve health and bring hope to individuals, families, and communities across Washington.”
The new MOUD resource library is part of the state’s opioid response strategy and is funded by the state’s opioid settlement funds. It builds on the ScalaNW program, which launched in 2024 to equip emergency room clinicians with resources to prescribe and administer MOUD and connect patients to follow-up care.
“OUD is a treatable medical condition, and medical professionals have a powerful opportunity to give people options and access to medications that could save their lives,” said Liz Wolkin, a registered nurse and HCA’s ScalaNW program manager. “We heard directly from providers across the state and designed these tools to help them partner with patients who are ready to start treatment and ultimately save more lives.”
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About HCA
Functioning as both the state's largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, HCA is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
There are three pillars of work: Apple Health (Medicaid); the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs; and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment, for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.
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Powerful MOUD like buprenorphine and methadone can help manage opioid withdrawals and cravings and cut opioid-related deaths by half.
Contacts
Becky Thomas
bthomas@cplusc.com
