Rural Health Education Opportunity: Implementing AI in Substance Use Disorder Screening, Prognosis, and Treatment

The Northwest Hills Council of Governments (COG) — in partnership with UConn Health’s Connecticut Area Health Education Center Network ­(AHEC) — is hosting a half-day conference for healthcare providers in rural northwest Connecticut exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can support better screening, diagnosis, and treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) in rural communities.

The “AI in Substance Use Disorders: Opportunities & Challenges” conference takes place on Thursday, November 5, 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Torrington Country Club in Goshen. Click here to learn more and register.

This training equips clinical providers with practical strategies and considerations for using AI as a screening and decision-support tool to identify potential SUDs in medical settings. Participants will learn how and when AI-driven tools can enhance early detection by analyzing patient data, screening questionnaires, clinical notes, and behavioral indicators while supporting more timely and accurate interventions. The session will also address ethical considerations, patient privacy, bias mitigation, and best practices for integrating AI into existing clinical workflows. Through study results, real-world examples and case studies, providers will gain a clearer understanding of when and how AI can complement, not replace, clinical judgment in delivering patient-centered care.

Featured speakers include: Thomas Agresta, MD, UConn Health; Neha Jain, MD, UConn Health; Lori Bruce, DPhil, HEC-C, Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics; Divya Malhorta, MBA, MHA, MBBS, data and AI executive; and Mary McPheat, Charter Oak State College.

Pending CMEs provided by CT AHEC using Rural Health Transformation Program funding.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the role and uses of AI in screening, prognostic prediction and treatment support for substance use disorders.
2. Identify some of the common AI-driven tools being used in the diagnosis and management of substance use disorders.
3. Evaluate the benefits and limitations of using AI in clinical decision-making, along with the role of the clinician.
4. Discuss strategies for integrating AI-supported Electronic Health Record screening tools into existing clinical workflows.

Click here to register.

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