In the field of behavioral health, emerging professionals often have limited exposure to the term “syndemic” and the way that syndemics–such as the syndemic of HIV, hepatitis C, sexually transmitted infections, and overdose–shape their work. Providing education on syndemics to emerging members of the behavioral health field is key to ensuring that they are able to address behavioral health issues within the complex context in which they occur.
Facente Consulting was hired by the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) to develop an introductory-level overview of syndemics for colleges and universities that train the future behavioral health workforce under HRSA funding. The “Syndemics 101” overview guide will be shared with trainees in the fields of social work, counseling, community health, and psychology as part of a broader curriculum covering current topics and trends in behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment.