Increasing Equity in Pain Management, Substance Use Disorder Treatment, and Linkages to CARE

Medical-legal partnerships

The involvement of lawyers as part of the care team to help respond to legal issues, such as housing and immigration, that affect the health of patients.

Minoritized

The systemic disenfranchisement of groups of people who are forced to access less intellectual, political, and material resources and gains because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and additional characteristics historically associated with discrimination and marginalization. Opioid and nonopioid pharmacologic treatments, as well as nonpharmacologic therapies and approaches to reduce symptoms related to acute, subacute, and chronic pain. High levels of stress resulting from hearing about a patient’s or other person’s trauma, or witnessing the trauma. Secondary (vicarious) traumatic stress symptoms are similar to the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The social and environmental conditions that influence health and quality of life, and that typically contribute to health disparities. Examples of social determinants include: access to safe housing, quality healthcare, fair education, reliable transportation, employment with a living wage, and nutritious food; exposure to racism and other forms of discrimination. A behavioral health condition characterized by continued use of an addictive substance (e.g., alcohol, opioids, stimulants) that impairs a person’s daily functioning, impacts relationships, and/ or causes distress to that person.

Pain management

Secondary traumatic stress

Social determinants of health

Substance use disorders

Warm handoff

A transfer of care between two or more health care providers in front of the patient that introduces the patient to the new provider so that a relationship can begin. Ideally the handoff occurs in person, but may also occur by phone.

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