Addiction Treatment Forum reports on substance use news of interest to opioid treatment programs and patients in medication-assisted treatment.
Proposed bills would infuse opioid use disorder treatment with new funds
Two bills passed by Congress and heading to the Senate would be very helpful to opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and other treatment providers, and their patients. SOR reauthorization The State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is up for continuation thanks to a bill passed…
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To Mallinckrodt: Thank you from AT Forum
We all want to thank Mallinckrodt for almost 30 years of support. This wonderful company provided support from the beginning of the newsletter, which first came out in 1992 during the dark days for methadone and opioid treatment programs. At the time, the late Stewart B. Leavitt, Ph.D., with funding what was then called Mallinckrodt…
COVID-19 Resources
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/medication_assisted/telemedicine-dea-guidance.pdf https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/statutes-regulations-guidelines/covid-19-guidance-otp https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/otp-guidance-20200316.pdf https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sample-otp-covid-19-faqs.pdf https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2020/03/covid-19-potential-implications-individuals-substance-use-disorders https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tips-social-distancing-quarantine-isolation-031620.pdf https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/032520%20Title-By-Title%20Summary%20FINAL.pdf
AT Forum Newsletter – September 2020
Study: COVID-19 Threatens the Incarcerated With Loss of Life-Saving OAT Treatment
For people with opioid use disorder (OUD), getting into or staying in an opioid agonist treatment (OAT) program while in jail or prison has never been easy. But incarcerated populations now face a new challenge: the COVID-19 pandemic threatens access to treatment programs and their life-saving medications. Sachini Bandara, PhD, and her colleagues at Johns…
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Why OTPs Need To Stay In The Mix: The Shatterproof Yelp-like Pilot
When Shatterproof launched its new ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator, Assessment, and Standards Platform) project, funded largely by insurance companies, as a pilot in six states, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) of New York State said yes, they want to participate. The reason is not because OTPs are interested in having disgruntled patients post complaints in a…
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New OTPs In Tennessee, Where Medicaid Now Covers Methadone/OTP
This summer, the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency (HSDA) granted a Certificate of Need (CON) for the establishment of a new opioid treatment program (OTP) in Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee. Owned by The Patricia Hall Talbott Legacy Centers, LLC, a company named after the founder’s mother, and doing business as TLC Maryville, the Maryville…
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News & Updates – October 2020
‘I am Alone’: Opioid Relapses on the Rise as COVID-19 Interrupts Drug Addiction Recovery in Dallas
North Texas addiction treatment centers are working hard to keep facilities open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal: to give some of the highest-risk patients access to medications that treat opioid addiction. The opioid epidemic hasn’t been supplanted by the…
“The Drug Became His Friend”: Pandemic Drives Hike in Opioid Deaths
On the first Friday in June, Jefrey Cameron, 29, left his home around midnight to buy heroin. He had been struggling with addiction for seven years but had seemingly turned a corner, holding down a job that he loved at…
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Addiction to Opioids and Tobacco Increases Risk for COVID-19, Study Finds
People with substance use disorder — especially involving opioids or tobacco — are at a significantly higher risk for contracting COVID-19. What’s more, they also are more likely to develop a serious case of the virus and die, a new…
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Statewide Opioid Screening Day To Help People Assess Their Risk And Find Treatment
Hospitals and clinics around Massachusetts are gearing up to help people access treatment for opioid use disorder, as part of a statewide event aimed at increasing awareness of the disease. The Sept. 22 event, called Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day,…
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Signs America’s Prescription Opioid Epidemic Might Finally Be Waning
Here’s some heartening news on the opioid painkillers front: Abuse of the prescription medicines in the United States fell by more than one-quarter between 2007 and 2018. “Prior research has shown slight reductions in abuse rates, but our analysis shows…
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Federal Funds to Fight Opioid Crisis Don’t Meet Demand
Current federal funding levels to combat the opioid crisis do not meet the alarming demand brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report. The Bipartisan Policy Center on Wednesday released a report that found federal opioid funding grew only…
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Methadone Patients’ Data Poised to Be Entered Into PDMPs
Starting August 14, methadone patients face the very real possibility that their long-protected privacy will be gone. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) final rule on the regulation 42 CFR Part 2 allows opioid treatment programs (OTPs,…
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How a Controversial North Phoenix Methadone Clinic Made Peace With the Neighbors
A once-controversial 24/7 north Phoenix methadone clinic that treats people with opioid use disorder has reached a détente with its neighbors. Key to the truce is the lease of a large new clinic at a new location and a big change in…
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