On October 13 the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released provisional death data showing a record number of 99,106 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending March. This is a 31% increase from the prior 12-month period ending in March 2020. Regina LaBelle, acting assistant director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) said … [Read more...] about ONDCP on CDC’s Latest OD Data
Newsletter
AATOD Calls for OTP Reforms, Including Relaxing Rules
The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) is recommending that federal regulators relax rules regarding methadone treatment by opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Only OTPs, certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), are allowed to dispense methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUDs). The rules … [Read more...] about AATOD Calls for OTP Reforms, Including Relaxing Rules
REVIEW ARTICLE: How Long Should OAT Last? A Month? A Year? Or…Forever?
The review article summarized here delves into a timely question: How long should treatment for opioid addiction last? The authors, Anjali Dhanda, MD, and Edwin Salsitz, MD, look at best practices for treatment duration, discuss factors affecting the ideal length of treatment, and cover some of the many barriers to treatment—barriers that lead many people to either avoid … [Read more...] about REVIEW ARTICLE: How Long Should OAT Last? A Month? A Year? Or…Forever?
How an Online Interview Can Help Programs Monitor Patient Progress, Identify Problems
Patients in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) may have other conditions that need treatment, and ignoring them can lead to relapse. An online assessment system devised by Norman G. Hoffmann, Ph.D., who is a leading expert in devising questionnaires to help programs assess patients, explained to AT Forum as we attended the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorder (CCSAD) … [Read more...] about How an Online Interview Can Help Programs Monitor Patient Progress, Identify Problems
Helping SUD Providers Help Diverse Patients: Race, Incarceration, Pain, PTSD
Race: In “Can You See Us? Providing Culturally Competent Treatment for Persons of Color,” presenters at CCSAD (Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders) in September, criticized the phrase “I don’t see color.” That’s not the right way to look at diversity in therapeutic settings, they said, because only by “seeing” color can providers make sure programming is culturally … [Read more...] about Helping SUD Providers Help Diverse Patients: Race, Incarceration, Pain, PTSD
