2021

The post occupied by Belinda Greenfield, Ph.D., as New York’s Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) for 15 years, will be taken by Lesley Puryear, LMSW, in January 2022. Ms. Puryear, at the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) for 7 years, was recently promoted to Director of the Bureau of Adult Treatment Services. Prior to coming to OASAS, Ms. Puryear worked … [Read more...] about Longtime NY SOTA Retiring, Puryear Moving to Position

With much support from many – but not the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD), because of the omission of opioid treatment program (OTP) physicians, a bill which would allow pharmacies to distribute methadone and add the number of take-home doses is on the verge of being introduced by Rep Donald Norcross (D-New Jersey). The move, which some … [Read more...] about Norcross to Introduce Bill to ‘Modernize’ Methadone Treatment

Key inequities in addiction care could be managed by correcting shortcomings uncovered in a recent qualitative study. The study was published in Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and was conducted by researchers at Boston University and Boston Medical Center. It was drawn from a parent study, REpeated dose Behavioral intervention to reduce Opioid Overdose … [Read more...] about “No Home to Take Methadone to”: Study Reveals Inequities in Addiction Care

Relaxed take-home rules for methadone patients were announced in March 2020 as a result of COVID-19, to limit the requirements for on-site dosing for many patients and the unavoidable exposure to virus transmission this entailed (see https://atforum.com/2020/03/otp-regulations-loosened-due-to-pandemic/). The relaxed rules allowed opioid treatment programs (OTPs) to give two … [Read more...] about SAMHSA Continues Relaxed Take-Homes

For the first time in recent history, New York is slated to have a medical doctor instead of a bureaucrat running the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Not only is Chinazo Cunningham, M.D., an expert in methadone and buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder, but she is a strong proponent of harm reduction and is passionate about advocating for … [Read more...] about Harm Reduction Proponent, Medical Doctor Nominated to Head OASAS