Ann Jamieson, MS, aged 46, is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Professional Development for Maric Healthcare, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company operating OTPs across six states. Ms. Jamieson recently served as the Executive Director of Oklahoma Treatment Services, which runs seven OTPs in Oklahoma.
Ms. Jamieson received a BS in Psychology from Louisiana State University, and an MS in Counseling from Northeastern State University. She is licensed as a mental health and addictions counselor, and as a clinic supervisor.
When she was 25 years old, Ms. Jamieson started her career in opioid treatment—first, as a drug and alcohol counselor. Her passion for the field grew into a 21-year career, evolving from counselor to program director, then to many other leadership roles.
Under Ms. Jamieson’s leadership, the Oklahoma Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (OKATOD) was established in 2010; she was elected its first president and AATOD delegate. Beginning in 2000, Ms. Jamieson was instrumental in expanding access to treatment, helping to open clinics in North Carolina, Oklahoma and Colorado. She continues to consult on CARF, regulatory compliance, and best practices for facilities within Maric Healthcare.
Ms. Jamieson has developed a series of trainings—approved by NAADAC—for CEU credits specific to substance use and unique to the needs of OTP providers and practitioners, and delivers training workshops across several states. As Director of Professional Development, she created an extensive set of initial and ongoing training programs for personnel at the OTPs managed by Maric Healthcare. These trainings have been vital to improving competencies of OTP personnel, and improving the quality of treatment and reputation of OTPs in many states.
Ms. Jamieson’s goals are to continue to improve the quality of treatment across Maric’s OTPs, and to engage in initiatives to improve opioid treatment throughout Oklahoma, working with OKATOD, and throughout the United States, working with AATOD.
“In the current climate of opioid treatment in the United States, it is essential that OTP leaders serve as gatekeepers and ensure that OTPs are providing no less than the highest quality of services to a population of patients that need this life-saving treatment,” concludes Ms. Jamieson. “In order to reach so many whose lives are at risk we have to battle a pervasive stigma that permeates our modality of treatment and serves as a strong accessibility barrier to treatment. This is what I strive for every single day.”