4-2020

Gateway Treatment Centers in Ellijay, Georgia, opened January 7—just a few weeks before the pandemic hit. But it was prepared.  The program currently has over 50 patients; 20% of the initial intakes were transfer patients. They were living in this county but having to drive close to an hour to get to treatment. The majority are new patients—new to treatment. OTP … [Read more...] about New Georgia OTP Takes Patients and Deals With the Pandemic

During the week of April 6, a sign-on letter circulating in the harm reduction and patient advocacy fields provoked some strong feelings. The letter focuses on mistreatment of opioid treatment program (OTP) patients during the national emergency and the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of the signatories are the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery (NAMA) (a patient … [Read more...] about AATOD Concerns about Harm Reduction Initiative During Pandemic

The CARES Act revises 42 CFR Part 2 (confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records) eliminating consent, except for the first time, after which they can revoke it at any time. After almost 10 years, it looks as if confidentiality has finally met its match, in a killer pandemic. What the insurance industry, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and the … [Read more...] about Provisions in CARES Act Affecting OTPs

Eight investigators from medical centers in the U.S. and Canada recently looked into methadone access in the U.S., and evaluated the current availability of methadone treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD).  The current situation within the U.S. wasn’t encouraging:  In 2017, drug overdose deaths in the U.S.—most of them related to opioids—totaled 70,237. Yet … [Read more...] about Study Report: Pharmacy-Based Methadone Distribution