Mission Statement: Our mission is to prevent the harm being done to patients by physicians and other health professionals by bridging the gap in knowledge, skill, and commitment in recognizing and treating people with substance use disorders.

Vision:  We envision all levels of medical education to provide up-to-date curricula and trained faculty to prepare students and graduates to deliver evidence-based-care with empathy and respect for patients and colleagues with substance use disorders, and their families.

Values: All medical professionals will:  1) demonstrate compassion, empathy, and respect to every person with risk for or with a diagnosis of substance use disorders; and 2) build expertise in order to minimize harm and to promote treatment and recovery.

As a sister organization to the California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM), MERF draws upon the physician members of CSAM for their clinical experience, research, educational and training expertise. CSAM is a national standard bearer in addiction medicine training, providing state-or-the-art physician education and training for over 20 years.

We know that addictions and substance abuse disorders receive short shrift in medical schools and residency training programs despite the explosion of research and overwhelming evidence of their prevalence and treatability. Institutional medical education regarding America’s number one cause of death and disability lags sorely behind the need.

To address that need, MERF is building upon its years of experience by supporting programs of continuing medical education in substance abuse and in providing annual scholarships and mentoring for physicians-in-training. Scholarship recipients demonstrate vastly improved awareness of addiction medicine science and practice. Many MERF scholars return to their home institutions and provide addiction medicine information and training for other physicians and physicians-in-training. In its work in this area, MERF has developed relationships with most California medical schools and many residency training programs.

The question is not what needs to be done; that is well known. The question is, who is going to do it!

WHAT NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT

• Awareness of the incidence and prevalence of substance use problems
• Awareness of the effects that a person’s substance abuse has on the health of other persons
• Basic medical science of substance use, abuse, and addiction
• Recognition of the integrated clinical continuum of diagnosis, treatment and recovery
• Effective methods of substance abuse diagnosis
• Overcoming discomfort discussing substance abuse
• Techniques for recognizing signs and symptoms of substance abuse
• Intervention and motivation skills
• Treatment methods and effectiveness
• Matching patient problems with appropriate treatment
• Treatment and referral resources in their community

Click HERE to view the MERF Board of Directors.