2018

Loretta Finnegan, MD, a champion of medication-assisted treatment with methadone, developed her scoring system for newborns more than 40 years ago. The Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (FNASS) assigns a numerical score to 21 clinical signs, and babies are treated accordingly. Developing the test was an important step in making sure that these babies were treated with … [Read more...] about MATER Center Director, on the Importance of Dr. Finnegan’s Work—Which Continues—and the Need to Treat Mothers for Trauma

Although the general attitude toward methadone and buprenorphine is not favorable on the part of many workers in correctional facilities, the trend is changing. This is partly due to the clear evidence that inmates with opioid use disorders (OUDs), once released, have greatly higher risks of overdosing than the general population, and partly due to several recent cases in which … [Read more...] about Opportunities for Partnership Between OTPs and Prisons, Jails

Case Report This is the story of a young woman with a 15-year history of severe opioid use disorder (OUD), intermittent hospitalization, and incarceration, who becomes pregnant. She has a history of trauma and mental health issues, and few social supports. Her story is the subject of a case report recently published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. It’s well known that … [Read more...] about Caught in Chaos—When Pregnant Women With OUD Are Incarcerated; How OTPs Can Help

More than two years ago, just before Donald Trump was elected president, Demetra Ashley, associate deputy assistant administrator of the office of diversion control with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) that new licensing regulations that would provide for more mobile vans to provide … [Read more...] about DEA’s Foot-Dragging on Mobile Vans Gets Worse

In a far-reaching policy paper to be published next year, a draft copy of which was obtained by AT Forum, the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) takes stock of the increasing prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD). “Medications Used to Treat Opioid Use Disorder: Learning from Past Lessons to Guide Policy,” by Mark Parrino, MPA, AATOD president, … [Read more...] about AATOD Policy Paper Looks at Methadone and Buprenorphine, OTPs and DATA 2000 Practices