The Gold Standard with Dr. Kimberly Sue

Episode 5 takes a closer look at MOUD in the context of pregnancy and parenting. What should be the ‘gold standard’ of treatment, becomes much more complicated to access when stigma, policy, and racism are involved. Join our host, Nathalia Gibbs (Lighthouse Learning Collective) and our guests Lisa Sangoi of Movement for Family Power and harm reductionist parent advocates Dinah Ortiz-Adames and Elizabeth Brico, as we discuss the unique demands placed on pregnant people, and how the child welfare system has targeted Black and brown families and caused irreparable harm.

Note: Due to COVID, this episode was recorded remotely. We are working on new ways of recording, but unfortunately some of the audio may be difficult to hear.

This episode takes us to Memphis, Tennessee with our host for this week Dr. Orisha Bowers, Regional Director of the HepConnect Initiative. We wanted to leave the coasts where our two main offices are located, and get on the ground in the South to hear about the innovative and lifesaving work going on. Dr. Bowers is joined by Dr. Tim Billbruck of Alliance Healthcare Services and a participant, Holly Joy. Their conversation will focus on common myths and misconceptions around medication treatment for opioid use disorder.

People with opioid use disorder are often criminalized for their substance use and in many places around the country cannot access life-saving medications such as buprenorphine and methadone. Coming to you from Albany, NY this episode will be highlighting a partnership to provide Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) in the local correctional facility, with a warm hand-off to the local drug user Health Hub, Catholic Charities. Dr. Sue, Stephanie Lao of Catholic Charities, and Jill Harrington of Albany County Correctional Facility will be discussing their partnership to work together to improve the care of people who use drugs.

Coming to you from the San Francisco Department of Health! Dr. Sue is with the Medical Director of the Street Medicine Team, Dr. Barry Zevin, Charge Nurse, Gina Limon and Outreach Worker, Shannon Ducharme. The guests will highlight what a low-barrier, low-threshold program looks like and will share their ideas on how to improve the care of some of the most structurally vulnerable people using drugs.

Dr. Sue is joined by her patient Loretta S. for the first podcast in this series. They will be discussing Loretta's experiences with substance use, homelessness and how buprenorphine has provided her newfound stability. Loretta will also offer recommendations for how providers can better serve women who use drugs.