Resolution: S-21-05: CREATION OF STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE OPIOID TASK FORCE

[Valerie Lile]

WHEREAS, currently, the Overdose prevention Task Force (OPTF) has been successful in working with the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) in creating nationwide programs to decrease overdose deaths; and

WHEREAS, SOMA’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Board of Directors understand that task forces have limited access to resources, financial assistance, communication with other organizations and national leadership, and a provisional standing, as compared to committees; and

WHEREAS, as a committee the OPTF will continue its efforts to reduce overdose deaths by creating school specific Action Plans based on the OPTF pillars stated in the founding documents, which include: ensuring strong Good Samaritan laws and policies in every state, having standing orders for Naloxone training and distribution in every state, harm reduction education, increasing access to care with a focus on Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT) training, and de-escalating the stigma associated with substance use disorder across the country; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that programs that train medical students to prevent and manage overdose related disorders have lasting impacts on students’ knowledge and attitudes towards harm reduction. This will lead to more physicians understanding and being more susceptible to treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) (1). ; and

WHEREAS, Research has shown that there are significant gaps between patients’ treatment needs and capacity at the state and national level for opioid agonist medication-assisted treatment (OA-MAT).²; and

WHEREAS, One of the overdose prevention goals in the founding documents is to change the curriculum so that medical students are trained to prevent overdose related disorders and create a lasting impact on the culture of substance use. Working to change osteopathic medical school curriculum is an internal SOMA/AOA/COCA issue that falls under the responsibilities of committees rather than sub-committees or task forces; and

WHEREAS, Overdose prevention is an ongoing health issue that not only encompasses the opioid epidemic but includes other substances such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, methamphetamines, and other substances (3,4) ; and

WHEREAS, Overdose prevention is a multidisciplinary practice that must include social issues such as mental health, prison reform, housing security, access to healthcare, healthcare disparities, and many others (3) ; and

WHEREAS, With substance use and overdose being a preventable cause of death that has plagued humanity since we have been capable of brewing alcohol or inhaling substances, the task of ending overdose deaths is not realistically going to be accomplished anytime in the near future; and

WHEREAS,  SOMA’s constitution and bylaws do not show any difference in the internal versus external scope of a Task Force compared to a Committee. The only stated difference is noted in Article IX Section 4, where it is stated that a Task Force is “temporary in nature.” The need for student activism in overdose prevention needs to be ongoing and permanent in nature to address the shortage of physicians OA-MAT; and

WHEREAS, Committees are created and dissolved by voting in the SOMA HoD, and are therefore more protected, since a task force and subcommittees can be disbanded by the SOMA president and BoT, respectively. The nature of SOMA’s overdose prevention is rooted in student action, particularly in communities that are resistant to harm reduction and MAT. This makes a Task Force vulnerable to being dissolved if an administrative body or political force wants to make an example of student activism in communities in the future; and

WHEREAS, Committees are held to a higher standard compared to task forces. Changing the OPTF to a committee would ensure the continued growth and prosperity of SOMA’s commitment to reduce overdose deaths as a national organization; and

WHEREAS, the incoming Chairperson and Vice-Chair of the Opioid Prevention committee be appointed by current leaders and communicated to the Chairperson and approved by SOMA’s President; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the Chairperson and Vice-Chair, the Community Outreach Director act as part of leadership of the committee and as a liaison between the committee, Board of Trustees, and National Board of Directors; and

WHEREAS,  in accordance with National SOMA bylaws Article IX Section 2, the Chairperson of the committee is equally responsible for selecting the subsequent leadership with the Chair and Vice Chair; and

WHEREAS, according to the SOMA bylaws Article IX Section 4, after “a period of two years the Task Force is eligible to become a Standing Committee pending approval of the House of Delegates,” showing that Task Forces are meant to transition into a Committee according to SOMA’s bylaws; and

WHEREAS, according to National SOMA bylaws Article IX Section 1: “The Standing Committee of SOMA shall be created by resolutions submitted to and approved by the House of Delegates. Job description and responsibilities of a Committee Chairperson are to be approved by a simple majority of the Board of Trustees”; and

WHEREAS, the OPTF was established in March 2019 at the Spring Conference HoD and therefore, has been an existing task force within SOMA for two years. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Overdose Prevention Task Force be converted to the Overdose Prevention Committee.

 

Relevant Existing Policies: (The policy number of any relevant existing policies provided for reference)

 SOMA Policy:

ARTICLE IX – Standing Committees, Subcommittees and Task Forces

Section 1. Creation & Duties of Standing Committees

The Standing Committees of SOMA shall be created by resolutions submitted to and approved by the House of Delegates. Job description and responsibilities of a Committee Chairperson are to be approved by a simple majority of the Board of Trustees.

Section 2. Chairperson Selection

The Chairperson(s) of each Standing Committee shall be appointed by the National President and ratified by a simple majority vote of the Board of Trustees. For continuity of programs, the Chairperson(s) of each Standing Committee shall become an equal and integral component in the interviewing and subsequent selection of their immediate successor(s).

Section 4. Creation of Task Forces

Task Forces shall be created at the discretion of the National President; these are established to facilitate new programs or new committees and are temporary in nature. The Chairperson(s) of each Task Force shall be selected by the National President. If program interest and needs continue for a period of two years, the Task Force is eligible to become a Standing Committee pending approval of the House of Delegates as per Section 1.

Section 5. Budget of Committees and Task Forces

The Chairperson(s) of each Standing Committee and Task Force will submit a tentative budget to the Treasurer for approval.

Policy of Other Organizations Named in the Resolved Statements (AOA/AMA/etc.):

References

1. Lowry F. Brief overdose training for med students yields lasting benefits. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/942899. Published December 18, 2020. Accessed February 14, 2021.
2. Jones, C. M., Campopiano, M., Baldwin, G., & McCance-Katz, E. (2015). National and State Treatment Need and Capacity for Opioid Agonist Medication-Assisted Treatment. American Journal of Public Health, 105(8), e55–e63. http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302664
3. Compton WM, Valentino RJ, DuPont RL. Polysubstance use in the U.S. opioid crisis. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Jan;26(1):41-50. doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-00949-3. Epub 2020 Nov 13. PMID: 33188253; PMCID: PMC7815508.

4. Rhee TG, Ross JS, Rosenheck RA, Grau LE, Fiellin DA, Becker WC. Accidental drug overdose deaths in Connecticut, 2012-2018: The rise of polysubstance detection? Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019 Dec 1;205:107671. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107671. Epub 2019 Oct 25. PMID: 31706248.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Submitted by:

(Shaun Antonio, OMS IV – Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine)
(Courtney Thrower, OMS IV- Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine)
(Giselle Irio, OMS IV- Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine)
(Hannah DePoy, OMS III- Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Action Taken:

Date:

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