CPHSSWCE0041 - Opiate Epidemic I: Societal Causes and Potential Interventions

Course Description

Presented by Dr. Miguel Munoz-Laboy.  This workshop will focus on the intersections between globalization, gender dynamics and the current opiates abuse epidemic in the United States.  The session will present an overview of the political economy of opiates distribution, how do we moved from the old white powder heroin epidemic to a current dual epidemic of brown tar heroin and oxycodone. Then we will discuss how does gender, globalization and poverty fueled these epidemics. The session will finish with discussing the implications for social work practice not only for those dealing with addiction services but also for those dealing with young people's health, HIV/AIDS, HCV, and family health.

 This course qualifies toward a certificate in Medical Social Work. Details of our certificate program can be found on our website, or by sending an email to sswce@temple.edu.

Learner Outcomes

By the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

1.  To identify strategies to gather information and monitor contextual changes outside the walls of service-delivery organizations.    

2.  To contextualize proximal and distal causes of the current opiate abuse epidemic and critically think about potential structural solutions