This listening session will focus on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and its critical role in improving treatment outcomes. The session will explore health care coverage that supports a variety of pain management treatment options.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the various medications used for treating opioid use disorder (MOUD), including their mechanisms of action and how they contribute to improved treatment outcomes.
- Participants will explore different healthcare coverage options that support a wide range of pain management treatment modalities beyond opioids.
- Participants will gain insights into the significance of collaboration among primary care providers, healthcare practitioners, behavioral health care professionals, and addiction treatment center staff in delivering comprehensive and patient-centered care for people who use drugs (PWUD).
Moderator:
Bianca D. McCall, LMFT is a retired professional women’s basketball player. She is an international TED Speaker, and renowned mental health researcher and expert. Bianca is a licensed clinical therapist, with 25 years in Behavioral Health, and 12 years as a Healthcare CEO. In recent years, she has grown significantly in the digital health space, and created a first-of-its-kind social-emotional platform, designed to improve human health span.
For more than a decade, her work and research has been dedicated to psychological (mental) injury prevention and the discovery of innovations addressing existential isolation. Bianca is passionate about leading projects which promote ongoing research in mental injury prevention, integration of technologies, data analytics, and the discovery of culturally and linguistically responsive crisis interventions. Bianca represents Nevada, on national committees and namely the Suicide Prevention Resource Center; designated by SAMHSA, and Steering Committee for the U.S. Department of Public Health and is a contributor to the National Strategies for Suicide Prevention in areas of Clinical Education, Provider Standards, and Technology. Bianca is a subject matter expert, a curriculum developer, and instructor in higher education with the Centers for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT), Region 9, housed at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Panelists:
Dr. Krista Hales, DBH LADC-S
Krista Hales, DBH LADC-S is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor / Intern Supervisor with a Doctorate Degree in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. Krista has been working in substance use treatment since 2008 and has developed programming across multi-levels of care through integration and innovative treatment options. Establishing recovery-oriented systems of care for individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders has been a passion of hers since a young age. Additionally, Krista serves the Las Vegas Recovery community in numerous fashions. She is an active member of several entities throughout the state including the Nevada Governor’s Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council, the Southern Nevada Opioid Advisory Council (SNOAC), and Shine A Light Foundation. She is also planning committee Lead for Recovery Village at Las Vegas PRIDE and Narcan at Night. Krista is a firm believer in all individuals being given fair access to supportive services when trying to find balance in their wellness journey.
Kim Nischik, PA-C
Kim Nischik is a board-certified Physician Assistant with nearly two decades of clinical experience spanning addiction medicine, women’s health, and primary care. Born and raised in the Chicago area, Kim developed a deep appreciation for community-focused care early in life. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, and later achieved a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Pacific University in Oregon.
Currently serving as the Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Medical Program Co-Coordinator at Northern Nevada HOPES, Kim provides leadership in program development, staff mentorship, and cares for underserved and high-risk populations, including pregnant women and unhoused individuals.
Kim’s expertise extends to substance use disorder treatment, where she applies a harm-reduction model to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care. She also serves as a clinical instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, and contributes to the academic community as a Project ECHO MAT clinician and subject matter expert.
Outside of her clinical and educational roles, Kim enjoys spending time with family & friends, outdoor activities, DIY projects, and volunteering in the community.
Erik Schoen
For the past 32 years, Erik Schoen has endeavored to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to not only survive but thrive. Whether through supervising, mentoring, and teaching the newer generation of health and human services workers; through serving on and leading a variety of state boards, nonprofits, and initiatives with similar areas of focus; through advocating and coordinating important changes at the legislative level; or, through considerable time spent building bridges and joining hands with other providers, Erik has dedicated his life’s work to this effort.
Currently, Erik serves as the CEO of Community Chest where he has worked for more than 29 years. Since Erik assumed the leadership position six years ago, the agency has more than doubled in size and now actively provides a variety of integrated health and human services directly to six rural Nevada counties, and indirectly to another handful. He currently serves on several local, regional, and statewide boards that have as their primary focus the building of needed health and human services infrastructure. In 2023, he was awarded the “Administrator of the Year” award by the Human Services Network, a coalition of health and human services providers from throughout Northern Nevada.
He is proud to have been a licensed mental health and substance use provider for more than three decades. He is the coauthor of Essentials of Chemical Dependency Counseling, 4 th Edition, and he is now into his second decade of teaching the culminating class in the addictions minor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Kayla Shannon, LCSW, LCADC
Kayla Shannon is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC), and 200 hour trained yoga instructor. Kayla was raised in Sparks, NV and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Bachelor of Social Work. Kayla then earned a Master of Social Work with a concentration in clinical behavioral health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Kayla’s professional experience as a LCSW has included providing individual, group, and family therapy to adolescents and adults in a variety of treatment settings.
Currently, Kayla works as the behavioral health MAT coordinator and therapist in the MAT program at Northern Nevada HOPES. The integrated clinic utilizes a harm reduction and client centered approach. Kayla and her team work with adults with Alcohol and/or Opioid Use Disorder to provide wrap around services by combining the use of MAT medications and behavioral health services. Kayla specializes in addressing trauma and substance use addiction. Kayla’s hope is to provide a safe and collaborative environment to address client’s goals and support them in their healing process.
Continuing Education Units: 1.5 CEUs
This training is approved for continuing education by the boards listed here.
Funding for this activity was made possible in whole or in part by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Director’s Office through the Fund for a Resilient Nevada, established in Nevada Revised Statutes 433.712 through 433.744. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in our courses are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence or its funders.