Addiction Treatment Forum reports on substance use news of interest to opioid treatment programs and patients in medication-assisted treatment.
Current News

COVID-19 Resources
- https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/medication_assisted/telemedicine-dea-guidance.pdf
- https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/statutes-regulations-guidelines/covid-19-guidance-otp
- https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/otp-guidance-20200316.pdf
- https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sample-otp-covid-19-faqs.pdf
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/noras-blog/2020/03/covid-19-potential-implications-individuals-substance-use-disorders
- https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tips-social-distancing-quarantine-isolation-031620.pdf
Upcoming Events
The ASAM 51st Annual Conference – Innovations in Addiction Medicine and Science
CANCELLED, GOING VIRTUAL
April 2-5, 2020
Denver, Colorado
https://www.eventscribe.com/2020/ASAM/
NatCon 20
CANCELLED
April 5-7
Austin, TX https://www.eventscribe.com/2020/NatCon20/
The Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit
POSTPONED
April 13-16, 2020
Nashville, TN
https://www.rx-summit.com/
News & Updates – January 24, 2020; Issue 336
Policy, Financing, Stigma, and Workforce Barriers Stand in the Way of Addressing Co-Occurring Opioid and Infectious Disease Epidemics
The opioid epidemic in the U.S. is driving a simultaneous epidemic of infectious diseases — including HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and bacterial infections, and sexually transmitted infections — but workforce shortages, stigma, and financial and policy barriers are preventing…
Opioid-Related Treatment, Interventions, and Outcomes Among Incarcerated Persons: A Systematic Review
In this carefully conducted systematic review, the authors found that correctional facilities should scale up opioid agonist treatment (methadone and buprenorphine) among incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder. The strategy is likely to decrease opioid-related overdose and mortality, reduce opioid…
Effect of Expanding Opioid Agonist Therapies on the HIV Epidemic and Mortality in Ukraine: A Modeling Study
To optimize HIV prevention and treatment goals in Ukraine, opioid agonist treatment (OAT) must be substantially scaled up in all regions, the authors found. Increased medication procurement is needed, combined with optimization of OAT dosing. Source: The Lancethttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(19)30373-X/fulltext
Salt Lake County Program Aims to Combat the Opioid Crisis from Inside Jail
Salt Lake County has a new strategy to combat the opioid crisis from inside the county’s jail. The new approach seeks to address the opioid epidemic by administering medication designed to treat addiction and providing patients with substance abuse counseling…
Continue Reading Salt Lake County Program Aims to Combat the Opioid Crisis from Inside Jail
‘A Different Way’: Walk-in Clinic Sees Success Treating Opioid Addicts with Medication
Salvador Ceniceros, a psychiatrist on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, took a break between seeing patients the other day to reflect. He’s finally gaining traction at Jordan Valley Community Health Center, which gives him a sense of urgency…
An Inside Look Inside Kitsap’s First Methadone Clinic
Local leaders got their first look at a new opioid treatment clinic in East Bremerton that could open by the end of the year. On a tour Monday, BAART clinic staff showed a group of Kitsap law enforcement officers, county officials…
Continue Reading An Inside Look Inside Kitsap’s First Methadone Clinic
Availability of Buprenorphine Treatment in the 10 States With the Highest Drug Overdose Death Rates in the United States
Although the SAMHSA buprenorphine practitioner locator is used by patients and providers to locate treatment options, only a small portion of clinicians in the database ultimately offered initial appointments, implying that the database is only marginally useful for patients. Source:…
Buprenorphine a Safer Alternative for Opioid Use Disorder, Chronic Pain in the Elderly?
For older individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) resulting from treatment of chronic pain, buprenorphine may be a safer pain management alternative, new research suggests. Results of the review show that in general, there is evidence to support the use of buprenorphine…
Few Teens Who Survive Opioid OD Get Recommended Care
Even after surviving an opioid overdose, few U.S. teenagers receive the recommended treatment for their addiction, a new study shows. Researchers found that of nearly 3,800 teenagers and young adults who’d suffered an opioid overdose, less than one-third went into…
Continue Reading Few Teens Who Survive Opioid OD Get Recommended Care
A Look Inside the Olympia Clinic Serving Hundreds of People Battling Opioid Addiction
The Olympia Bupe Clinic opened at the Capital Recovery Center on Cherry Street Southeast, which also houses the county-run syringe exchange. It provides buprenorphine, which serves as a safer alternative to opioids and heroin, which is the drug people with…
Walk-in Clinics for Opioid Addiction Offer Meds First, Fast
In St. Louis, Seattle and San Francisco, people with opioid addictions can start medication on their first day of treatment. Early research suggests the approach can change lives. But it will be a tough sell elsewhere: Nearly two-thirds of U.S.…
Continue Reading Walk-in Clinics for Opioid Addiction Offer Meds First, Fast