​​Millions of Americans have died from alcohol-related causes and drug (most notably opioid)-related overdoses in the past 20 years.  Substance use disorders are increasingly a concern within our country and medical communities, however, they remain significantly undertreated, despite having several pharmacotherapy options available that are evidenced to reduce harmful substance use and related morbidity and mortality.  In response, several legislative changes have been implemented to broaden and open access to care for individuals with SUDs.  Several states have further legislated changes to reduce these restrictions and, in many cases, authorize pharmacists to combat this disease as part of the care process.​ Pharmacists attending this session will enhance their skills in addressing SUD in their practice and expand their knowledge of evidence-based practice specifically in the areas of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD)—two of the most prevalent and consequential SUDs.  This session will focus on the treatment of adult and older adult populations in an ambulatory care practice setting and provide additional resources for those interested in implementing SUD care into their practices.​ 

This activity is approved for Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP) and Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist (BCGP) recertification credit.

The BCACP and BCGP Clinical Sessions are part of the professional development program for the recertification of board-certified Ambulatory Care or Geriatric pharmacists by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and jointly provided by ACCP and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). In order to earn the BCACP, BCGP recertification credit, participants must attend the session, claim the continuing pharmacy education credit, and pass the associated posttest. Access to the Clinical Sessions posttests will be available on December 17, 2025, at www.accp.com/myaccount to anyone who has purchased access to the BCACP/BCGP posttests. For participants who have not purchased access to the posttests, access can be purchased until 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, at the ACCP Registration Desk. The deadline to submit posttests for these sessions will be December 15, 2026.  

2. Apply universal screening techniques for substance use disorders.

4. Develop a patient-centered and evidence-based harm reduction and treatment plan for opioid use disorder