As Georgia invests opioid settlement funds to address the continuing impact of the overdose crisis, the Addiction Alliance of Georgia is expanding hands-on addiction medicine training for health care students and professionals across the state.

The Substance Use Disorder Education Program, a five-day immersive training offered through the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, is designed to improve how substance use disorders are understood, treated and managed in clinical settings. The Addiction Alliance of Georgia is a collaboration between the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and Emory Healthcare. 

Launched in March 2025, the program has trained 233 participants since its inception. The initiative reflects the alliance’s commitment to strengthening the state’s addiction treatment workforce.

Participants have described the program as life changing. The training combines classroom instruction with clinical observation and experiential learning in the Addiction Alliance of Georgia and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation treatment setting. Participants engage directly with patients and care teams to better understand the human impact of substance use disorder and the process of recovery.

“There remains a significant gap between the number of individuals who need treatment and those who receive it,” says Joseph Skrajewski, executive director of medical and professional education, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “This program helps future and practicing health care providers recognize addiction as a chronic medical condition and equips them with practical tools to reduce stigma and improve patient care.”

Nationally, only a small percentage of people who meet criteria for substance use disorder seek treatment in a given year. Barriers include limited training, stigma and a lack of integrated care. The curriculum addresses those gaps through education on:

• The disease model and neurobiology of addiction 
• The importance of language in reducing stigma associated with substance use disorder 
• Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment 
• Prevention strategies and recovery-oriented systems of care 
• Peer recovery support and interdisciplinary collaboration 
• Appropriate levels of care across the treatment continuum 

Participants also receive exposure to motivational interviewing techniques and other patient-centered communication approaches that support effective screening and intervention in real-world health care settings.

The program includes a formal evaluation component that measures changes in knowledge, stigma and intended clinical practice behaviors before and after participation. The goal is to increase understanding of substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery while strengthening confidence and competence in caring for patients and families affected by addiction.

“The aim is not only education but measurable change in practice,” says John Martin, who manages the program at the Addiction Alliance of Georgia. “By investing opioid settlement funds in this training, we are building a workforce better prepared to identify substance use disorder early, intervene appropriately and support long-term recovery.”

The program is offered at no cost to participants thanks to grant support and is open to qualified students enrolled in Georgia-based higher education institutions as well as health care professionals seeking advanced training. Grant support also includes scholarships for Georgia residents to attend the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, which provides master’s degrees in counseling.

For more information about program dates and application details, visit the Addiction Alliance of Georgia website.