Welcome to the Western University of Health Sciences online course on Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). This course was designed through a partnership between Western University of Health Sciences and CLARE|MATRIX. WesternU is one of the largest graduate health sciences universities in the region, with nine colleges in two states. For 40 years, WesternU has had a special mission: Educating tomorrow’s healthcare professionals with a combination of scientific excellence and a humanistic, compassionate approach to patient care. In 2018, two Los Angeles nonprofits dedicated to recovery from substance use – CLARE Foundation and The Matrix Institute on Addictions – merged to form CLARE|MATRIX. With over 80 years of combined experience, CLARE|MATRIX is positioned to deepen and expand impact with the powerful combination of treatment, prevention, behavioral health support, research and training.
On April 20, 2017, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant to California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The purpose of the grant is to address the opioid crisis by improving access to treatment, reducing unmet treatment need, and reducing opioid overdose related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery activities for opioid use disorder (OUD). CLARE|MATRIX was one of 19 Hub and Spoke Systems in California awarded a contract with DHCS. Together, WesternU and CLARE|MATRIX have created this online course on Medication Assisted Treatment. This is the first of many courses we will develop to help our current and future healthcare professionals care for those affected by substance use disorders.
This course will take approximately one hour to complete. You may pause and return to the course at any time. To begin the course, first complete the pre-test to assess your current knowledge about opioid use disorder. As you work through the course, you will answer questions about your learning and about your attitudes toward individuals with opioid use disorder. At the completion of the course, you will complete a post-test to assess the knowledge that you have acquired. We then ask you to take the time to complete the Course Evaluation, which will help us to make improvements to the course in the future. Finally, we have provided links to additional resources that will allow you to learn more about specific topics in the field of opioid use disorder.