President's Blog

In My Own Words Essay Contest Winners

2012-01-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

NAMA Recovery is proud to announce the 3 winners of the MAT In My Own Words Essay Contest.

The winners were:

1st Darlene DeMore (PA)
2nd Louis Buchhold (CA)
Ian Christenson (MN)

The winners will receive: 1st-$500, 2nd-$250, 3rd-$100.

We are proud to announce that a recordbreaking 128 individuals
from across the US and the UK submitted essays.

And even more proud that so many of you bravely shared your story.

Here Are the Essays

First Place
MEDICATED ASSISTED TREATMENT
A New Beginning
Darlene DeMore, Pennsylvania

Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) has supported my recovery from addiction in ways I never expected. Early in recovery my only concern was not feeling sick and having a place to sleep other than the ground or a park bench. When I became pregnant, I was terrified that I would not be able to take care of my child. MAT allowed me to become well, function normally and raise a beautiful, healthy daughter.

I am commonly asked why I have been on methadone maintenance for 14 years and my reply is because it works for me. Sadly MAT is misunderstood and stigmatized in our communities. What most people do not realize is that my medication is only a fraction of what my recovery is about. As with anyone in recovery, I needed therapy, family support, positive people and finding my passion in life. MAT is just that, assisted treatment. It’s a medication I take to treat my disease of addiction. Using drugs was only a symptom of other things I needed to learn how to cope with to be successful.

I continue to be committed to recovery because when I allowed myself to be open to the process and accept my disease I was free. Free to be a loving mother of two, free to contribute to my community, free to share my recovery experiences and free to be a woman I am proud of, honored to be, and will continue to become.

# # #

Second Place
ATTC Essay
Louis Buchhold, California

I’ve been sober for 11 years/6 months. I could have never imagined I could experience even one day free from alcohol/drugs back then. In 8-long years I have never been able to get longer than 30-days sober, being in/out of AA, therapy, and having tried to kill myself. Then I met a psychistrist who saw past that homeless, unemployable, degenerate hope-to-die alcoholic – to a person gripped by a terrible disease with a medical solution.

At that time in 1999 Naltrexone was new. I had tried all the other clearly non-effective recovery methods, what harm could a trial be? MAT moved me for the first time to stop dissociating when triggered. I found myself being completely present, able to stop the addictive process. I got 60-days, after which, like an alcoholic/addict, my self-will tested this MAT by drinking/using. The medication worked. I stayed present and able to be recovery-committed since, knowing it is possible.

I continued taking Naltrexone for 2-years. I went off when I had built enough behavioral tools and support to ensure my ongoing recovery. I continue to live each day only 24-hours at a time, knowing thay I can return to drinking and using tomorrow. If it wasn’t for MAT I would not be here to tell my story. I am grateful that there are medical options to help oeople struggling when all else has failed them.

# # #

Third Place
IN MY OWN WORDS…
Medication Assisted Treatment (Buprenorphine / Suboxone)
Ian Christenson, Minnesota

Suboxone saved my life. I’ve been clean and sober since that day 5 years ago when I walked into my doctor’s office beaten down by my addiction and finally asked for help.

At 30 years of age, after 15 years of drug addiction I started Suboxone. I had been attending 12 step groups but after years of heroin and pill addiction, numerous drug treatments, and chronically relapsing I had to do something different. The decision was difficult. Suboxone is controversial and I feared the judgments of others in recovery.

Medication-Assisted Treatment is a BIG part of my recovery but staying sober depends on more than just medication. I do service work, go to meetings, stay away from drugs/alcohol, and surround myself with supportive people.

Medication-Assisted Treatment is the best decision I had made in a long time. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help from my doctors and the MAT program.

Suboxone has stopped my cravings and preoccupation with getting high. My life is no longer controlled by being high, lying, feeling miserable, then starting the cycle again.

I’m 100 % committed to my recovery. Even though some days are still hard I know I can make it though the tough times. I now have a good job, a house, and a family. Besides all that, I now have something I never thought I could, sobriety and true happiness. I owe a lot of that to MAT.

# # #

Download the Essays

1st Darlene DeMore (PA)

2nd Louis Buchhold (CA)

3rd Ian Christenson (MN)

Tennessee Proposes New Regulations Harmful to Patients, Quality Treatment and Best Practice

2011-12-29T16:00:00.005-05:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

On December 19, 2011 the state of Tennessee is proposing new regulations for methadone. A hearing is scheduled for January 5, 2012 (State will accept written comments until January 19th).

Here are some of the proposed regulations:

The screening process: Patient must have two documented unsuccessful attempts at detoxification or drug-free treatment within a 24-hour period. (Page 14)

Dose: Doses greater than 100 milligrams of methadone requires written notification to the SOTA, greater than 120 milligrams need SOTA approval prior to administration and greater than 140 milligrams shall include a peak and trough test. (Page 21)

Take Home Medication: Patients on a monthly with 1 positive drug screen will be put on a weekly schedule for two weeks or more. (Page 24)
.
Administrative Discharge for Drug Use: A fourth positive drug test in 6 months will result in immediate discharge or ASW. (Page 26)

Central Registry: A propsed Central Registry with no comment on how confidentiality will be maintained or even where it will be stored. (Page 29)

It must also be noted that many new proposals in the new regulation are good treatment, however they appear cumbersome resulting in excessive paper work so counselors do not have quality time to see patients. There must be a better way to do it such as the federal government whose regulations are very basic while the treatment requirements are in the accreditation guidelines. This also allows the federal the make changes when necessary without approval from Congress. Like the first federal regulations the Tennessee proposed regulations are written with good intent but the result is likely not to be what was intended.

Tennessee Needs Our Help

Patients and residents of Tennessee that are family please follow the instructions in the attached Announcement. A copy of the legislators in the state Senate and Assembly is included. You should also send a copy to the Secretary of State and TN SOTA whose addresses are below.

Out of State Patients the Hearings scheduled for January 5, 2012 needs to have patients write their feelings and why some of these regulations hamper recovery rather than support it. You can send a letter to the following:

DO NOT SEND TO:

Tre Hargett
SECRETARY OF STATE
State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-1102
Phone: (615) 741-2819

MAIL LETTERS TO:

Kurt Hippel, Esq.
Tennessee Department of Mental Health
Office of Licensure and Review
4255th Ave. North, 3rd Floor
Cordell Hill Building
Nashville, TN 37243

Jason Carter
TN SOTA
Cordell Hull Bldg. 5th Floor
425 5th Ave. North
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 532-6736
Fax: (615) 741-6602
jason.carter@state.tn.us

Download Announcement
Download TN Senate Members
Download TN Assembly Members
Download Proposed TN Regulations
Download Press Release (PDF)

Revised: January 6, 2012

Governor LePage Believes Maine Should Stop Paying for Methadone Help Change His Mind

2011-12-29T16:00:00.002-05:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

He Says:

Maine Care will pay for Methadone when most insurance carriers won't. Someone can go to the Discovery Center in Bangor. They can request an increase and receive it that day. They have no programs for decreasing or getting off methadone. They compare it to having Diabetes! On top of paying for methadone, they all get reimbursed for travel from PenCap! It is a legal drug dealer and we the tax payers are footing the bill!

We Have Heard It Before, Haven’t We?

During December many advocates primarily professionals have written letters to the governor. However, as you can see from his comments he has not been convinced and is obviously cynical about the information he has received. Usually NAMA Recovery does something similar but instead our letter voices the concerns of patients on behalf of the patients being affected, or in this case methadone patients in Maine. Our letter notes the same evidence and research about methadone that the advocates that are professionals use. Our new project Stop Stigma Now even included a DVD with the letter. But NAMA Recovery can do something different and perhaps better because we can tell the governor how methadone has changed our lives.

What Can We Do?

Instead of writing the usual letter we are asking patients to write a letter to the governor to tell him that methadone does work and that we are the proof!

And we can ask our professional friends to hand out this information to patients. Programs can help by telling patients.

See Attached Instructions
Download Press Release (PDF)

NAMA-Recovery Demands Rescinding of Ban on Use of Federal Funds for Syringe Exchange

2011-12-28T16:00:00.001-05:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

The National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery (NAMA-Recovery) demands an immediate reversal of the ban on use of federal funds for syringe exchange imposed in the omnibus spending bill. The FY 2012 omnibus, passed by both houses of Congress in December, reinstates a complete ban on use of federal funding for syringe exchange programs. This reversal of federal policy represents a huge step backward in the fight to eliminate hepatitis C and other blood-borne viruses, despite numerous studies demonstrating that access to sterile syringes reduces the incidence of HIV and viral hepatitis and is good public health policy benefiting communities across our nation.

Access to sterile syringes has been proven a cost effective and life saving measure. Syringe exchange programs also connect people who use drugs to constant and repeated contact with substance use treatment and medical care. For the two years since the lifting of the original ban, syringe exchange programs around the country have worked closely with local law enforcement and health officials to make syringe access a part of their communities’ HIV and viral hepatitis prevention strategies to great effect. This setback will result in nothing less than an avalanche of new infections and dramatic increases in medical costs at a time of great financial strain for individuals and governments.

NAMA-Recovery Executive Director Joycelyn Woods said “In this times when the cost of medical care is rising it is prudent and good public health policy to provide access to sterile syringes. Even more important are the lives including families and children that will be affected by these medieval attitudes.” Woods continued, “NAMA-Recovery will continue our support for syringe exchange and strategies needed to prevent a new infections among the next generation of injection drug users. We implore Congress and the Administration to reverse this policy.”

The National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery is an organization of patients, healthcare professionals, friends, and associates working together for greater public understanding and acceptance of the use of medication assisted treatment in the recovery from opioid addiction. NAMA-Recovery, founded in 1988, has Chapters throughout the United States and International Affiliates in 19 countries across the globe.

In Recognition of Recovery Month 2011 NAMA Recovery with FAVOR and the ATTC Announce “In My Own Words..." Essay Contest

2011-08-26T20:56:00.000-04:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA

For Release:
August 26, 2011

In Recognition of Recovery Month 2011 NAMA Recovery
in collaboration with FAVOR and the ATTC National Office
Announce the 4th Annual “In My Own Words…” Essay Contest
On Medication Assisted Treatment and Recovery

NEW YORK, NY, August 26, 2011 – The Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) National Office, in partnership with Faces & Voices of Recovery and NAMA Recovery, announces the 4th annual “In My Own Words…” essay contest. This year the essay is on Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), such as methadone or buprenorphine for opioid addiction and acamprosate or naltrexone for alcohol addiction, and recovery to share YOUR STORY.

As a person in long-term recovery with the assistance of MAT, you have a unique perspective to share about your own journey. Your story highlights how medication, in combination with counseling and other recovery support, can transform lives.

The contest begins September 1, 2011 and ends October 1, 2011 in recognition of Recovery Month. In your own words, write an essay (250 words or less, typed, double spaced in 12 point font) in which you tell us about your medication-assisted recovery experience. Please use the following statements as the basis for your response:

How MAT has supported my recovery from addiction...
I continue to be committed to recovery because...

The First Place Winner will receive $500, Second Place $250 and Third Place $100.

The top 20 essays will be compiled in a commemorative booklet and available to the public on the ATTC Network (www.ATTCnetwork.org) and Essay Contest Partners’ Websites, www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org and www.methadone.org. Previous contests have focused on behavioral healthcare professionals, High School/ College students in recovery, and families. Essays from these contests can be found at: ATTCnetwork.org

For more information about the essay contest and how to enter it see the attached flyer.

###

Download Flyer

Nominations Open Richard Lane/Robert Holden Patient Advocacy Award

2011-07-01T22:51:00.003-04:00

NAMA Recovery is proud to announce that nominations are now open for the Richard Lane and Robert Holden Patient Advocacy Award.

The History

Richard Lane was a long-term heroin user who, upon release from prison in 1967, was instrumental in establishing one of the Nation’s first methadone treatment programs, ManAlive in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1974, he became the Executive Director of ManAlive and remained in that position until his death in 1994. He also served as Vice President of the American Methadone Treatment Association (now AATOD) and as Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maryland. Richard was a passionate advocate for methadone treatment and, by disclosing his own treatment experiences, provided inspiration to patients and colleagues alike.

Robert Holden was also a recovering heroin user, who later became the Director of PIDARC, an outpatient methadone treatment program in the District of Columbia. He was a friend of Richard Lane and succeeded Richard Lane’s term of office as the Vice President of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence.

This award was established in 1995 and recognizes extraordinary achievements in patient advocacy.

The Criteria for Nomination

The following criteria should be applied in making your selection:

Only one (1) nominee can be submitted to the Conference Awards Committee. There may be a number of nominees, who will be fielded by NAMA Recovery in the medication assisted treatment MAT (i.e. methadone and/or buprenorphine) patient advocacy movement, however, NAMA Recovery will be responsible for submitting only one (1) “consensus” nominee to receive this honor.

The nominee must have been involved in the field of methadone and/or buprenorphine advocacy for a period of five (5) years.

The nominee must have been actively engaged in methadone and/or buprenorphine advocacy for a period of five (5) years.

The nominee must have made meaningful and consistent contributions, which have had a significant impact on opioid treatment within a state or region of the United States.

For each nominee a Nomination Form must be completed and submitted with two (2) Letters of Support. The Nomination Form is included with this announcement and can also be downloaded from the NAMA Recovery website: http://www.methadone.org/richard_lane_award.html

Additional information about the award can be found at the NAMA Recovery website http://www.methadone.org/richard_lane_award.html.

NAMA Recovery will be responsible for collecting all the submissions for nomination including a Selection Committee that will decide on the final candidate. The Candidate’s Name, Nomination Form and at least two (2) Letters of Support describing the nominee’s achievements will be submitted to the Awards Committee for the final approval.

The Deadline for Submission is Monday, August 22, 2011. The completed Nomination Form along with at least two (2) Letters of Support should be sent to Joycelyn Woods at edirector@methadone.org.

Previous Winners of the Award

1995, Arizona Richard Lane
2001, St. Louis Joycelyn Woods
2007, Atlanta Anthony Scro
2009, New York Walter Ginter
2010, Chicago Lisa Mojer-Torres

This Award will be bestowed upon the recipient at the Awards Banquet Ceremony during AATOD's next National Conference which will convene in Las Vegas.

The recipient will be provided with a roundtrip Coach Class airfare in addition to up to two (2) nights in the hotel. The individual will also be able to attend the Conference (May 5-9, 2011).

Deadline: August 22, 2011
Email Nominations To: Joycelyn Woods
edirector@methadone.org

If you have any questions about the award contact Joycelyn Woods at edirector@methadone.org or by telephone at (718) 742-7804.

Download Press Release

Download Nomination Form

Download Criteria

Go to Award Webpage

PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT OF 2011

2011-05-19T16:16:00.002-04:00

(S. 507)

BILL SUMMARY

PROBLEM: LACK OF EDUCATION

Solution: Provider Education

• Background: Currently, there are no specific education or certification requirements for practitioners to fulfill before prescribing methadone or other opioid pain relievers. Linking education to the existing Drug Enforcement Administration registration system would help ensure that physicians get the education and support they need to safely prescribe these powerful drugs.

• Proposed Change: Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a mandatory and comprehensive practitioner education program for methadone and other opioids, in collaboration with relevant professional societies. Completion of this education program will be required as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) current registration process used to authorize practitioners to prescribe, dispense and administer controlled substances.

• Reason for Change: Under the Controlled Substances Act, the DEA must register practitioners who prescribe controlled substances like methadone or other opioid pain relievers. However, there is no federal education requirement for those who prescribe these drugs. For example, methadone stays in the body after its pain relieving effect has worn off – resulting in a greater risk of overdose. It is necessary for practitioners to be properly educated about the complicated nature of methadone and other opioid pain relievers so that they can properly and safely prescribe these powerful drugs.

Solution: Consumer Education

• Background: There is a knowledge gap about the dangers of prescription pain relievers and how to avoid diversion and misuse. Forty percent of teens believe that prescription drugs, even if they are not prescribed by a doctor, are “much safer” to use than illegal drugs. Sixty-four percent of teens (12-17) who have abused pain relievers say they got them from friends or relatives, often without their knowledge.

• Proposed Change: Provide competitive grants to states and community organizations to educate consumers and communities about safe and appropriate use of prescription pain relievers, including methadone.

• Reason for Change: Consumers need to know how to understand the dangers of prescription drug misuse as well as how to safely use controlled substances when prescribed for them. For example, methadone has a long half-life of between 8 - 59 hours, however, the analgesic effect is usually only felt for between 6 - 12 hours. This long half-life coupled with a significantly shorter analgesic effect means that is possible for dangerous levels of methadone to accumulate in the body as consumers take additional methadone seeking pain relief. High levels of methadone can lead to respiratory distress, cardiac arrhythmia and even death.

PROBLEM: LACK OF WIDESPREAD CLINICAL GUIDELINES

Solution: Controlled Substances Clinical Standards Commission

• Background: There is widespread agreement that prescribers need better information and guidelines for safe prescribing of controlled substances including methadone and other opioids, and that health care professionals face significant challenges when trying to balance the need for legitimate pain relief with the need to prevent misuse of opioid pain relievers -- yet widely agreed-upon clinical guidelines are not in use.

• Proposed Change: Create the Controlled Substances Clinical Standards Commission to establish patient education guidelines, appropriate and safe dosing guidelines for all forms of methadone, benchmark guidelines for the reduction of methadone abuse, appropriate conversion factors for transition patients from one opioid to another, guidelines for the initiation of methadone for pain management, and consensus guidelines for the treatment of pain management with prescription opioids. In creating such guidelines, the Clinical Standards Commission would be required to collaborate with outside experts, health care professional societies, patient representatives, and others.

• Reason for Change: As the number of methadone prescriptions has significantly increased in recent years, so has the number of methadone related deaths. A standards commission will compliment the current oversight structure by providing evidence-based information to improve guidance for the safe and effective use of opioid pain relievers as well as methadone for both pain management and opioid addiction treatment.

Solution: National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER)

• Background: Currently 38 states have enacted legislation requiring prescription drug monitoring programs (PMPs), and many states were able to fund these initiatives in part from grants available through the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. A second program created in 2005 through the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER), would provide even more assistance, but has only recently been funded with $2 million in each of FY2009 and FY2010.

• Proposed Change: This legislation would appropriate $25 million a year for NASPER to establish interoperable prescription drug monitoring programs within each state.

• Reasons for Change: The Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program allows states to establish their own requirements with regard to controlled substances monitored and information shared between states. NASPER goes a step further in mandating that all state prescription drug monitoring programs submit data for Schedule II, III, and IV drugs and requires interoperability between states to reduce diversion and doctor shopping across state lines.

PROBLEM: NO UNIFORM REPORTING SYSTEM FOR OPIOID-RELATED DEATHS

Solution: National Opioid Death Registry

• Background: There is no comprehensive national database of drug-related deaths in the United States, nor is there a standard form for medical examiners to fill out with regard to opioid-related deaths.

• Proposed Change: Create a National Opioid Death Registry to track all opioid-related deaths and related information. Also, establish a standard form for medical examiners to fill out which would include information for the National Opioid Death Registry.

• Reasons for Change: Since there is no comprehensive database of methadone-related deaths, the number of deaths may actually be underreported. In order to truly reduce the number of methadone-related deaths, quality data must be collected and made available.

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

• Improving Patient Safety: Opioid treatment programs will be required by law to make acceptable alternative arrangements for the safe distribution of methadone for patients who are not permitted take home doses on days where the clinic is closed.

• Moratorium on 40-mg Methadone Diskettes: For two years, no provider may prescribe and no pharmacy or opioid treatment clinic may distribute 40-mg methadone diskettes unless the prescription or dispensation is consistent with DEA policy.

• Annual Report on Effectiveness: No later than September 30, 2012 the Secretary will report to Congress the effectiveness and evaluate the success of efforts to reduce opioid addiction and methadone-related deaths including the impact of health care provider and patient education.

Download Legislation

Download FACT SHEET

Lisa Mojer-Torres (1956-2011)

2011-04-11T15:46:00.000-04:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

Contact Persons:
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA

For Release:
April 11, 2011

Lisa Mojer-Torres (1956-2011)

It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery (NAMA Recovery) announces the passing of our friend and member of the board Lisa Mojer-Torres, Esq. We will miss her deeply.

Lisa Mojer-Torres, 54, of Lawrenceville, NJ lost her battle with ovarian cancer April 4, 2011. Daughter of the late Joseph R. Mojer, Lisa is survived by her beloved husband, Rolando Torres Jr.; her two loving sons, Matthew and Liam Torres, and her mother, Gwendolyn Walters Mojer. Also surviving are her brothers, Steven Mojer and his wife Maryjane and Michael Mojer and his wife Kim; a sister-in-law, Vivian Torres; nephews, Tyler and Jessie Mojer and nieces, Heather and Leah Mojer and Emily Jordan.

She received her B.A. from Boston University and her J.D. from the University of New York. Lisa was licensed to practice law in both New York and New Jersey. She passed the bar exam for both states the first time and months apart an incredible accomplishment for any student of law. However upon passing the bar exam she was informed that because she was taking methadone she would have to be supervised. Lisa was incensed because she had done nothing wrong. She challenged the decision and won the right to practice law in both states without supervision. This experience was the motivating force for her decision to use her knowledge of law for advocacy.

Lisa served as the recovery advocate for the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services (DAS). She was proud of setting up the Citizens’ Advisory Council (CAC) whose purpose was to involve consumers and families in improving the current system of care.

She served on the board of NAMA Recovery (formerly the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates) three times. As 2nd Vice President she was one of the founding directors of NAMA Recovery from 1992-94. She was part of the Interim Board in 1998-99 and assisted in NAMA Recovery's re-organization. This past fall she joined the board for a third time to provide her legal expertise.

But her greatest contribution and life's work was helping medication assisted treatment (MAT) patients with legal issues. It was mostly Pro Bono. There are hundreds, probably thousands of MAT patients and their families who benefited from these cases because agencies were educated about the benefits of MAT.

In 1993 she was a member of the Committee to Study the Federal Regulation of Methadone Treatment that resulted in the 1995 Institute of Medicine's report, Federal Regulation of Methadone Treatment. From 1998 to 2002 she served on the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s National Advisory Council. She served as a founding member and first chairperson of the Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) and was one of the persons responsible for insuring that persons receiving MAT were considered "in recovery". In 2005, Lisa participated in her third Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Committee Crossing the Quality Chasm: Adaptation to Mental Health and Addictive Disorders. This Committee’s findings are published in the 2006 National Academies Press, Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions.

Lisa was the recipient of many national awards for her advocacy work. In 1996, she received the first Public Service Award presented by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) for her efforts to educate others about the effectiveness of methadone treatment. In 2006, she received the Johnson Institute's Award, America Honors Recovery. And this past fall, she received the Richard Lane and Robert Holden Patient Advocacy Award at the American Association of Opiate Addiction Treatment Conference (AATOD).

Her most recent work was the article on Recovery Orientated Methadone Maintenance co-authored with William L. White, M.A.

FAVOR will be creating a page on their website to commemorate her life and incredible contributions to our recovery advocacy movement. Please email Whitney O’Neil at woneill@facesandvoicesofrecovery.org with any pictures, stories or remembrances that you would like to share.

You can read William White's interview with Lisa at:
Lisa's Interview

The paper by William White and Lisa Mojer-Torres Recovery Oriented Methadone Maintenance can be downloaded at:
www.williamwhitepapers.com

The family strongly suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Lisa's memory be made to Hospital at the University of the Pennsylvania, Ovarian Cancer Research, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA. 19104.

NAMA Recovery Announces Two More Directors to Join the Board: Lisa Mojer-Torres Esq and Nanette Wollfarth CMA

2010-10-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

NAMA Recovery Announces Two More Directors to Join the Board:
Lisa Mojer-Torres Esq and Nanette Wollfarth CMA

It is with great pleasure that NAMA Recovery announces the addition of two additional new board members Lisa Mojer Torres and Nanette Wollfarth. Like our other recent additions to the Board they bring with them years of experience working in advocacy and making treatment and recovery a reality for thousands. Lisa Torres recipient of this years’ Richard Lane/Robert Holden Advocacy Award has served the NAMA Recovery Board twice before with her legal skills. Nanette Wollfarth is the Chapter Coordinator and brings her knowledge of national and international issues.

This brings the current Board of Directors to:

Roxanne Baker, C.M.A., President
Donna Schoen, C.M.A., Vice President
Kerry Wolf, B.S.N., C.M.A , 2nd Vice President
Jo Sotheran, Ph.D., C.M.A., Treasurer and Secretary

J.R. Neuberger, C.M.A. Parliamentarian and Newsletter Editor
Chris Kelly, Advocates for Recovery though Medicine
Ira Marion, M.A.
Lisa Mojer Torres, Esq
Nanette Wollfarth, C.M.A., Chapter Coordinator

MARS Project Receives Funding for Another Four Years

2010-10-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

Contact Persons:
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Walter Ginter, MARS Project Director, matrecovery@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA

For Release:
October 15, 2010

MARS Project Receives Funding for Another Four Years

The MARS Project (Medication Assisted Recovery Services) the only Peer to Peer Recovery Services Center has received a second grant to continue the project. It is a proud moment for NAMA Recovery because over 220 proposals were submitted and only 5 grants awarded. It is confirmation that a small patient run organization can compete with the big guys and win. The proposal was also the only one to receive continuous funding.

The MARS Project is a new way of thinking for providers and patients of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT). It is not a part of the program but instead works alongside programs and is managed entirely by patients for patients to have a safe and supportive place to go to. NAMA Recovery has learned that patients want information and to learn about their medication, addiction and regulations. Peers at MARS receive the Core Training that consists of (1) Advanced Addiction that covers psychopharmacology, neuroscience, biochemistry and addiction science, the (2) Education Series deals with many diverse issues from history of methadone to confidentiality and (3) Recovery completes the series since it is a new concept for most patients.

Unlike many recovery centers MARS is not a place to house 12 step meetings. There is only one weekly 12 step meeting and another group on spirituality and recovery. Most of the groups change over time as peers find new interests. Some groups are for socialization and fun like the Book Club and Arts and Crafts while others are discussion groups like Women’s or Men’s Issues and some groups cover practical topics like Taking Care of Your Heath and Relapse Prevention.

NAMA Recovery Announces Two New Directors to Join the Board: Chris Kelly and Ira Marion

2010-09-27T08:48:00.003-04:00

NAMA Recovery Announces Two New Directors to Join the Board:
Chris Kelly and Ira Marion

It is with great pleasure that NAMA Recovery announces the addition of two new board members Chris Kelly of Advocates for Recovery through Medication and Ira Marion of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Both bring with them years of experience working in advocacy and making treatment and recovery a reality for thousands.

This brings the current Board of Directors to:

Roxanne Baker, C.M.A., President
Donna Schoen, C.M.A., Vice President
Kerry Wolf, B.S.N., C.M.A , 2nd Vice President
Jo Sotheran, Ph.D., C.M.A., Treasurer and Secretary

Barbara Finger, C.M.A.
J.R. Neuberger, C.M.A. Parliamentarian and Newsletter Editor
Chris Kelly
Ira Marion, M.A.

Administration
Joycelyn Woods, M.A., C.M.A. Executive Director
Nanette C. Wollfarth, C.M.A., Chapter Coordinator Claude Hopkins, R.M.A., C.M.A., Grievance/Compliment Coordinator Herman Joseph, Ph.D., C.M.A., Ambassador At Large Norma Alexander, C.M.A., Publicity and Special Events Coordinator
Walter Ginter, C.M.A., Director of Training & Recovery Services & MARS Project

Methadone Under Attack in Pennsylvania Voice Your Opposition to Pennsylvania’s Methadone Accountability Package

2010-07-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release

Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA

Ericka Lear PA NAMA 814-695-1014

For Release:
July 26, 2010

Methadone Under Attack in Pennsylvania Voice Your Opposition
to Pennsylvania’s Methadone Accountability Package

In May Pennsylvania legislators announced at a press conference a number of bills that would be introduced. They claim that the intent is to increase safety, fiscal accountability and reduce the use of illicit methadone in an effort to reduce methadone overdose deaths the legislation is based on prejudice and ignorance. Methadone treatment is already strictly regulated at both the federal and state levels more than any medication or medical treatment. Nevertheless as in the past opioid treatment programs are the focus.
Here is what the legislation would do:

- Patients would need a designated driver when starting methadone or increasing dosage and get tested more often for other drugs that in combination with methadone impair driving.
Response: Numerous studies have reported that stable patients can perform as well as any non methadone patient driver. Federal and state regulations already require toxicology tests that are sufficient.

- Driving with more than the prescribed dose of methadone would constitute driving under the influence, and driving with methadone in combination with alcohol or other drugs would constitute "high-impairment" DUI.
Response: How would one determine if a patient has taken more than their required dose? There is no way.

- Methadone clinics must be open seven days a week - up from six - to curtail selling of "take home" doses.
Response: This is an unnecessary expense and should be decided and based on each individual OTPs needs.

- Clinics must give all startup patients an opioid antagonist drug The Antagonist Challenge Test.
Response: This is a barbaric practice that was used by a few states over thirty years ago. It is dangerous and most certainly will result in deaths.

- Clinics must test for a certain type of sedative and dispense methadone to patients only if a psychiatrist attests to its necessity.
Response: This is already a federal requirement and unnecessary.

- Patients couldn't take home doses for six months - up from three.
Response: Take home doses should be based on a patient’s responsibility and both the federal government and state have requirements that patients must meet which are quite rigid.

- The industry would need to create protocols to determine when patients are no longer benefiting methadone and clinics would discharge these patients.
Response: All patients benefit or they would leave.

- Patients would have funding for one year.
Response: Excellent if this applies to all patients encouraging persons to enter treatment.

- Patients would need to patronize the nearest clinic, to reduce alleged abuse of transportation subsidies.
Response: Most patients already do this.

- The state's methadone support system would be audited.
Response: The state already inspects, licenses OTP and responds to complaints in addition to SAMHSA accreditation and licensing and DEA requirements.

- The state would create a Methadone Death Review Team to gather data and figure out how to reduce the number of fatalities.
Response: NAMA Recovery would be in support of this. The team should include professionals, policy makers and patient advocates. Standards need to be developed about what constitutes a methadone death and those in combination with other substances.

- The state would develop screening standards for methadone candidates.
Response: The federal government and state already have requirements.

- The state would standardize intake procedures, warn potential patients of the risk and advise them of alternative strategies.
Response: The federal government and state have standard intake procedures.

- Treatment plans would lay out a schedule for getting off methadone within two years, unless there's good reason.
Response: Treatment plans should be focused on recovery getting one’s life together not a schedule to get off.

- Patients would get a minimum two hours counseling per week.
Response: OTP caseloads are greater than other types of addiction treatment. Counseling needs to be on using a who needs it basis. Forced counseling requirements diverts the counselors attention from patients that need their time thus insuring that nobody gets what they need. A counselor with the standard 50 patient caseload would have to work 100 hours a week.

- Clinics would screen patients for other drugs at the start and every two weeks.
Response: Regular screening is already part of the federal and state regulations. Every two weeks is costly and unnecessary.

- Patients couldn't drive for the first two weeks - or a month, if they test positive for other drugs.
Response: This would mean that no patients could not drive for the first 2 weeks since they must test positive for drugs at admission.

- Clinics must develop plans to curtail illicit sale of methadone by patients.
Response: The federal regulations already require this of each program as well as most states.

- Patients may take home doses only if it's consistent with a treatment plan, there's minimal risk of abuse, it would help in treatment and the client hasn't abused take home previously.
Response: Actually federal and state requirements already require this and including an additional 6 requirements.

- Programs could discharge patients who sell doses or who threaten or commit violence.
Response: These are the two reasons that programs already administratively discharge patients.

Sources: State Sens. John H. Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, Mike Stack, D-Philadelphia, and Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland.

Methadone maintenance treatment has been thoroughly researched and carefully evaluated for over four decades. It has received more scientific scrutiny and evaluation than any other medical treatment or human service program. Most evaluations have shown that, when correctly implemented, the treatment is capable of producing remarkable improvements in patients who were previously dysfunctional heroin addicts. Methadone maintenance patients throughout the world have been restored to productive lives, relations with families and children have been reestablished, many have furthered their educations, obtained employment and improved their physical and mental health. Nevertheless, contrary to scientific evidence, methadone maintenance treatment remains a controversial issue among substance abuse treatment providers, public officials and policy makers, the public at large and the medical profession itself.

Download the following:

Copy of this press release
Letters sent by NAMA Recovery
Announcement the Methadone Accountability Package
What Can You Do? and Sample Letter
List of Pennsylvania's House Represenataives & Addresses
List of Pennsylvania's Senators & Addresses

Sign the Petition Opposing the Methadone Accountability Package

Help Identify What Patients Do To Make Recovery Work

2010-02-27T21:52:00.004-05:00

February 28, 2010

Stabilized patients who have been in methadone maintenance for more than one year (with negative urinalysis tests for all illicit substances except methadone).

Have you ever considered your status as a long term methadone patient, AKA elite methadone patient to be an achievement worth celebrating? I do and so do many others. And, it is! One problem is that fewer patients remain in methadone maintenance for longer periods of time. It took me several episodes of treatment before I began to understand and distinguish the differences in value between the medication (methadone); the modality (methadone maintenance); and the way methadone is dispensed (the methadone program or clinic system). So, I became an advocate for better and more information to patients about how methadone maintenance works and involved on several levels in improving the way methadone is dispensed; the clinic system.

About me:

My name is Lisa Mojer-Torres and I have been a patient for 20 years. I tried to withdraw from methadone maintenance three or four times before learning about its pharmacology. Since stabilizing on my optimal dose, I have become a practicing attorney, (admitted in NY and NJ) and an advocate for methadone maintenance as a modality and methadone patients as victims of stigma and discrimination. I have a life that includes rewarding employment, a beautiful family, and our own home.

This project:

Currently, I am writing an article with leading recovery expert that analyzes methadone maintenance as a legitimate path into and through “recovery” from active addiction to heroin and other opioids. There are several uses for methadone and even different stages within methadone maintenance pharmacotherapy. However, once a patient and his/her doctor identify the patient’s optimal dose of methadone (the particular dose that affords the patient the maximum benefits methadone offers in managing the chronic disease of opioid addiction), the patient remains on that dose with the exception of a rare taper. The patient has achieved “optimal dose stabilization”. Without the distractions of withdrawal symptoms, or the obsessive cravings for opioids (and an opioid blockade as well) the patient is in the strongest position to leave the life of active opioid addiction behind, transitioning from treatment to recovery. It is this transition that I am interested in documenting.

Why I am reaching out to you:

In order to document the transition from treatment to recovery, I believe it is imperative to go directly to the source and seek information from those patients who’ve succeeded with methadone maintenance about how they succeeded. I am also interested in learning what resources would have made your experience easier. I am interested in learning what and whether you think achieving optimal dose stabilization has played any role in your life and/or the lives of other patients. The three-part article will conclude with a statement that opioid addicts who achieve optimal dose stabilization with methadone are on an equal par to alcoholics who stop drinking and others who stop using, etc. Mostly, I am interested in learning the various skills you used in overcoming ignorance about methadone and how you managed to sustain recovery.

Confidentiality:

I don’t need to know your name or any other identifying information for this project. At any rate I am restricted by confidentiality laws. Your treatment program was kind enough to cooperate in allowing this notice to be posted in the OTP, but no one is under any obligation to respond. However, unless and until the public becomes aware that there is a significant population of stabilized in methadone maintenance patients in recovery, we will continue to be defined by those still struggling with active addiction. I would be grateful if you would spare a few moments of your time to participate in this anecdotal survey. I promise your time and effort will not be wasted and I will do my best to create a resource that speaks directly to the current generation of opioid addicts who, still stuck in the grips of active addiction have not been unable to maximize methadone’s full potential. It’s my hope that by offering to share our experiential jewels of information, others will believe a life in recovery is possible, even for them.

IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN AN E-MAIL EXCHANGE OR A PHONE INTERVIEW, PLEASE CONTACT ME, Lisa Mojer-Torres VIA E-MAIL @ rtorres605@aol.com OR TELEPHONE at my home/office @ (609) 671-1995 either 7AM-9AM weekday mornings or 7PM-9PM weekday eves. (I work during the day). Call any time over the weekend; I will do my best to hang around the house over the next couple of weekends. But, in the event you reach our voice mail, PLEASE either leave a message providing instructions about how to reach you OR call me back. My goal is to complete interviews by March 7th, latest, so please try and act upon this ASAP. If you wait, we all lose.

Sincerely,

Lisa Mojer-Torres (Using Google, you can check out more information about my advocacy efforts on the national level)
Email: RTORRES605@AOL.COM
Telephone: (609) 608 671-1995
.

Howard Stephen Lotsof (3/1/1943 - 1/31/2010)

2010-02-15T20:26:00.005-05:00

Howard Stephen Lotsof (3/1/1943 - 1/31/2010)

It is with great sadness that NAMA Recovery announces the passing of our long time board member and fellow advocate Howard Lotsof. He passed away Sunday, January 31, 1010 at 6 PM in Staten Island University Hospital.

Howard was an important part of NAMA Recovery and methadone advocacy. He came to us because of his experience in developing Ibogaine and having to work with methadone programs. They had sure changed since he was a patient many years before. He believed that treatment should be a positive experience and so in typical Howard fashion he could not hold himself back to set things right. He helped a lot of people with issues and problems that they had during the years that he was with NAMA Recovery and his presence will be greatly missed.

But Howard also had another life as an Ibogaine advocate. He single handed -- as a citizen with no background in drug development -- convinced the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide funding for Ibogaine studies in the US. Only large pharmaceutical companies have the resources to accomplish this -- and of course Howard Lotsof.

The funeral was Friday, February 5, 1010 at Harmon Funeral Home in Staten Island. He will be intered at the Fairview Cemetery, 1852 Victory Blvd., Staten Island.

He was a nobel and inspiring man and we send Norma and his family our most heartfelt sympathy on his passing. We will miss him very much.

Note: His wife Norma Lotsof is asking for assistance for the gravestone. Donations can be sent to: Ms. Norma Lotsof, 46 Oxford Place, Staten Island, NY 10301

Obituary

Howard S. Lotsof, 66, discoverer of the anti-addictive effect of ibogaine, died of liver cancer on Sunday January 31, 2010 in Staten Island.

Mr. Lotsof was the first individual to observe the effect of ibogaine, a naturally occurring plant alkaloid with a history of use as a ritual hallucinogen in Africa, in detoxification from heroin. He subsequently originated patents for the use of ibogaine in treating addictions, including opioids, cocaine and amphetamine, alcohol, and nicotine.

Mr. Lotsof’s work initiated substantial research into ibogaine and related compounds in the mainstream scientific community. He provided pilot data to the National Institute on Drug Abuse that became the basis for a program of research on ibogaine that generated scores of peer-reviewed publications and led to the approval by the US Food and Drug Administration of a Phase 1 clinical trial. Beginning with research funding provided by Mr. Lotsof 25 years ago, Stanley D. Glick, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience Albany Medical College, has produced a body of work on ibogaine and related compounds that presently includes over 60 peer-reviewed publications and has been supported for more than two decades by the National Institutes of Health. Mr. Lotsof himself authored or coauthored scientific papers on ibogaine in respected academic publishing venues such as the Journal of Ethnopharmacology and the American Journal on Addictions. These accomplishments are all the more extraordinary in view of the fact that Mr. Lotsof, a graduate of NYU who majored in film was without a doctoral level degree.

The FDA-approved clinical study was never completed due to contractual disputes, which was Mr. Lotsof’s deepest professional disappointment. Nonetheless, an expanding global context of ibogaine use for the treatment of addiction continues to exist in medical and non-medical settings across the world, and ibogaine continues to be studied as a paradigm for fundamental research and the development of new treatment for addiction.

Mr. Lotsof is survived by his wife, Norma, and two sisters Rosalie Falato and Holly Weiland.

Nominations Open for the Richard Lane/Robert Holden Methadone Advocacy Award

2010-02-15T20:17:00.002-05:00

Nominations Open for the Richard Lane/Robert Holden Methadone Advocacy Award

Richard Lane was a long-term heroin user who, upon release from prison in 1967, was instrumental in establishing one of the Nation’s first methadone treatment programs. In 1974, he became the Executive Director of Man Alive and later served as Vice President of the American Methadone Treatment Association and as Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maryland. Mr. Lane was a passionate advocate for methadone treatment and, by disclosing his own treatment experiences, provided inspiration to patients and colleagues alike.

Robert Holden was also a recovering heroin user, who later became the Director of PIDARC, an outpatient methadone treatment program in the District of Columbia. He was a friend of Richard Lane and succeeded Richard Lane’s term of office as the Vice President of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence. This award was established in 1995 and recognizes extraordinary achievements in patient advocacy.

The following criteria should be applied in making your selection:

Only one (1) nominee can be submitted to the Conference Awards Committee. There may be a number of nominees, however only one (1) “consensus” nominee may receive this honor.
The nominee must have been involved in the field of methadone advocacy for a period of five (5) years.
The nominee must have been actively engaged in methadone advocacy for a period of five (5) years.
The nominee must have made meaningful and consistent contributions, which have had a significant impact on opioid treatment within a state or region of the United States.
For each nominee a Nomination Form must be completed and submitted with two (2) Letters of Support. The Nomination Form is attached to this announcement and can also be downloaded from the NAMA Recovery website http://www.methadone.org/.
Additional information about the award can be found at the NAMA Recovery website http://www.methadone.org/richard_lane.html.
NAMA Recovery will be responsible for collecting all the submissions for nomination, selecting a committee of advocates that will decide on the final candidate. The Candidate’s Name, Nomination Form and at least two (2) Letters of Support describing the nominee’s achievements will be submitted to the Awards Committee for the final approval.
The Deadline for Submission is February 26, 2010. The completed Nomination Form along with at least two (2) Letters of Support should be sent to Joycelyn Woods at edirector@methadone.org.

Previous Winners of the Award

2001, St. Louis Joycelyn Woods

2007, Atlanta Anthony Scro

2009, New York Walter Ginter

This Award will be bestowed upon the recipient during the Awards Banquet Ceremony of October 26,2010 during AATOD's next National Conference which will convene in Chicago at the Hilton Hotel.

The recipient will be provided with a roundtrip Coach Class airfare in addition to up to two (2) nights in the hotel. The individual will also be able to attend the Conference.

Deadline: Wednesday, February 26, 2010
Email Nominations To: edirector@methadone.org
Joycelyn Woods

If you have any questions about the award contact Joycelyn Woods at edirector@methadone.org or by telephone at (718) 993-3397.

New Chapters Join NAMA Recovery

2009-09-02T20:11:00.002-04:00

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
Press Release
Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2009

New Chapters Join NAMA Recovery

The National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery, or NAMA Recovery, formerly the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates, with 25 chapters across the United States and 15 international affiliate chapters from England to Denmark and India to Australia, is proud to announce the formation of its 26th and 27th chapters in the United States. They are Northern Texas NAMA-Recovery under the guidance of co-directors Terry and Dianne Cox and Georgia NAMA Recovery with Suboxone as Specialty under the leadership of director Angela Fletcher.

The establishment of the Georgia chapter is a particular milestone for NAMA Recovery as it extends its umbrella to include patients accessing medication assisted recovery through the use of buprenorphine, currently prescribed under the trade name Suboxone. It is the newest of the medications approved by the federal government for the treatment of opiate addiction.

Each of these new chapters can be reached through the NAMA Recovery website at http://www.methadone.org/.

The National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery, established in 1988, is the premier patient advocacy organization in the opioid addiction recovery community. It provides information, education and advocacy support to patients in medication assisted addiction treatment world-wide.

Profiles of Recovery Advocacy in Action

2009-07-10T20:54:00.002-04:00

Advocacy for Medication-Assisted Recovery

An interview with Walter Ginter by Bill White

"In June of 2009, I interviewed Walter Ginter about the work he and others have done in advocating the legitimacy and effectiveness of medication-assisted recovery. Walter is one of the most skilled recovery advocates in the United States."

Check out the rest of the interview at the FAVOR website.

New Education Series "Making Methadone Safe"

2009-05-17T20:35:00.002-04:00

A new Education Series (Number 11) Making Methadone Safe has been developed to help patients -- both addiction treatment patients and pain patients -- keep their methadone safe.

Increase in Methadone Related Deaths by 390%

Methadone related deaths have increased dramatically, from 1999 through 2004 there was a 390 percent increase. Other deaths attributed to opioids have also increased but only by 90 percent, however they constitute a much larger percentage of the total for opioid-related deaths. A SAMHSA report found that the majority of methadone-related deaths involve abuses that were prescribed for pain management. Methadone deaths attributed to Opiate Treatment Programs (OTPs) have not increased.

Unfortunately it is the OTP deaths that make the news and methadone programs have particularily become targets because they are easy to blame.

It is important that all persons taking methadone keep there medication safe and this Education Series was developed to provide resources and ways to keep methadone safe.

You can download the new Education Series at our website.

New Name: National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery

2009-04-26T19:59:00.002-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 26, 2009

New Name: National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery

It is especially fitting at this AATOD conference in New York that the Board of Directors of the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates, the premier patient advocacy organization in the opiate addiction recovery community, established in 1988 in this very city, announces an important change to its identity. It will now be doing business as the National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery, or NAMA Recovery. NAMA Recovery has 25 chapters across the United States and 15 international affiliate chapters from England to Denmark and India to Australia, providing information, education and advocacy support to patients in medication assisted addiction treatment utilizing methadone and buprenorphine.

NAMA Recovery is the umbrella organization for the M.A.R.S. Project, a CSAT (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment) funded Recovery Support Services Grant grantee. M.A.R.S. (Medication Assisted Recovery Services) is a peer recovery project based on the belief that when methadone patients receive training about addiction, its treatment and recovery they will feel better about themselves and do better in treatment and life. It is providing patients of medication assisted treatment education about the science of addiction, information on nutrition and health, peer mentoring, women- and Hispanic-specific recovery services, even a M.A.R.S. book club, all in a location near the treatment clinic where the patient can be mentored and grow. M.A.R.S. is the first truly “peer to peer” recovery endeavor in opiate addiction treatment in the United States with MAT patients educating and mentoring MAT patients with significant accomplishments and successes.

The Executive Director of NAMA Recovery is Joycelyn Woods and the Director of the M.A.R.S. Project is Walter Ginter.

Rokki's NewTube Message

2009-02-23T20:47:00.002-05:00

See our President Rokki Baker's NewTube message about Drug Policy.

The message was taped at the IDUD 2008 Meetings hosted by NAMA’s Danish Affiliate, BrugerForeningen (BF).

Check out Rokki's Talk at YouTube.

Editorial Comment: AATODs Letter to Treatment Magazine

2009-02-09T09:22:00.000-05:00

January 9, 2009

Ted Jackson Editor and Publisher
Treatment Magazine
Post Office Box 3 196
Lantana, Florida 33465

Dear Mr. Jackson:

I am writing with regard to the "Publisher's Note," "Another Use for Methadone?!!," which was published in the November 2, 2008 edition of Treatment Magazine.

You note that methadone is "...one of the most studied drugs on earth. "It would be helpful for you to read some of the literature because you would find that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that supports the statement that methadone " ...rots your teeth." It is useful to cite a statement from the National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement of November 1997.

"Many of the barriers to effective use of methadone maintenance Treatment in the treatment of opioid dependence stem from misperceptions and stigmas attached to opioid dependence the people who are addicted those who treat them and the settings in which services are provided."

An impartial observer might conclude that your "Publisher's Note" further stigmatized this long-proven and effective treatment for opioid addiction. The Association welcomes the expansion of buprenorphine medication and an increasing number of opioid treatment programs are using buprenorphine products in addition to methadone to treat chronic opioid addiction. With regard to methadone being antiquated, you should know that there is a major expansion in the use of this medication to treat chronic opioid addiction in Europe, China and Vietnam with an interest to use this medication in other developing nations.

You also indicate that "...the principal use for methadone is as a maintenance replacement for other opiates." This has been the case for the past four decades to present, there are approximately 260,000 patients being treated with methadone in 1,203 registered and certified OTPs. There are more than 700,000 patients who receive prescriptions for methadone from private physicians in treating chronic pain.

After years of struggling to support rigorous scientific evaluations of medications and to promote evidence-based treatment for opioid addiction, it is extremely disheartening to have the publisher of a treatment magazine for the addiction industry make such unfounded comments.

Sincerely yours,

Mark W. Parrino, MPA
President

IDUD 2008 Gathers Top International Advocates

2008-11-18T00:02:00.003-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA

For Release:
November 17, 2008

BrugerForeningen (BF), NAMA’s Danish Affiliate hosted the International Drug Users’ Day (IDUD) in Copenhagen Denmark October 30 to November 3, 2008 to bring together the top user activists from around the world.

IDUD event was founded in 1995 by the national Dutch umbrella user organisation Landelijk Steunpunt Druggebruikers (LSD) and their director Theo van Dam. IDUD was an international conference and celebration for drug user activists to network, share ideas and unite user organizations. The last IDUD was hosted by BF in 2003 and gathered 96 activists from 16 different nations. The event was documented by Howard Lotsof (NAMA and Dora Weiner Foundation) and can be read on the BF website at http://www.brugerforeningen.dk/bfny.nsf/engelsk/nl003?OpenDocument&S=UK

Ths year’s event brought together 120 activists from around the world. Presentations included:

Méta d’âme’s new facility and the peer delivered services.

Syringe and needle distribution in jails and how to go about it.

Lifesaving prevention of peer distributed Naloxone to reduce overdose deaths.

Making user unions accepted in wider society by providing services (i.e. syringe patrols & prevention lectures at schools) and using the parents and relatives of drug users to promote the union.

Improving the lives of drug users through the union’s advisory services to the community and advocacy.

Publications: user magazines and special concepts such as the J-Key Cards to educate drug users and promote user organizations.

Heroin trials and treatment.

Memorial Day events for deceased drug users – 21 July.

Human rights for drug users and what user organizations should know.

Attracting funding for user groups and interest organizations.

Working with journalists and using the media to promote user organizations.

This was the fifteenth year anniversay of BrugerForeningen and on November 1, 2008 120 activists were served a three course meal. After dinner the gala party continued with a live band consisting of activists musicians from Italy, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Belgium with Pat O’Hare in lead.

NAMA presented Joergen Kjaer and BF the International Advocate of the Year Award for 2009 for “...the exceptional work they have done in Denmark and throughout the world advocating for drug users and those who are voiceless. Their efforts have resulted in a more united network of user organizations throughout the world, helped to create a unified voice and brought the issues that confront drug users to the public.”

Congratulations to BF and Happy Anniversary with many more successful years to come.

Photos of the events can be seen at these links.

IDUD Conference:

http://cid-19d32a68e122a231.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!19D32A68E122A231!110/

Gala Dinner:

http://cid-19d32a68e122a231.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!19D32A68E122A231!425/

Variations In Key Genes Increase Caucasians’ Risk Of Heroin Addiction

2008-11-15T13:52:00.001-05:00

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2008)

Sometimes, small changes do add up. In the case of addictive diseases, tiny variations in a few genes can increase or decrease the likelihood of some people developing a dependency on heroin. Now, by examining a select group of genetic variants in more than 400 former severe heroin addicts, Rockefeller University researchers have identified several genetic variations in American and Israeli Caucasians that influence the risk for becoming addicted to one of the world’s most powerful substances.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a collaborative effort with statistical geneticists and several methadone clinics, scientists led by Mary Jeanne Kreek, head of the Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, analyzed 1,350 variations in 130 genes and found nine, from six genes, that were either more or less common in recovering heroin addicts when compared to Caucasians with no history of drug abuse. These small changes in the gene sequences can cause significant changes in protein function that can influence addictive behavior — changes that may affect people of different ethnic background differently.

“The idea of ‘personalized medicine’ makes this field really exciting but also very complicated,” says Orna Levran, a senior research associate in the Kreek laboratory and first author of the study. “Although seven of these variants increase the risk for developing heroin addiction in Caucasians, the same seven may not have the same effect in other populations. So ethnicity and, more precisely, genetic information in each individual may become important factors for treating and diagnosing addictions to different drugs.”

In their analysis, Kreek, Levran and their colleagues looked at a string of letters called nucleotides, the building blocks that make up genes. In each of the six genes, at least one letter is replaced by another, a genetic variation known as a single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP. The researchers found that all of the single-letter variations exist in parts of the genes that do not translate into proteins but instead may have a regulatory or a structural effect.

Out of the nine SNPs, the group found six in the μ, δ and κ opioid receptors, a finding that reinforces the idea, and many other findings of the Kreek laboratory, that opiate receptors play a major role in severe heroin addiction. The remaining three SNPs were found in genes coding for the serotonin receptor 3B, casein kinase 1 epsilon, which acts as a regulator of the circadian clock genes, and galanin, which modulates appetite and alcohol consumption. This is the first study to show that specific variants in these genes are associated with heroin addiction, explains Levran.

The SNPs in the κ opioid receptor and casein kinase 1 genes were found more in the control group than the heroin addicts’ group, suggesting that they conferred protection from heroin addiction — not vulnerability to develop addiction.

“Individually, these SNPs probably have a small effect,” explains Levran, “but collectively, we are seeing that they could have a larger effect. One of the goals now is to find all of these gene variants and assess how they influence people of different ethnic backgound.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journal reference:

Levran, Londono, O'Hara, Nielsen, Peles, Rotrosen, Casadonte, Linzy, Randesi, Ott, Adelson, Kreek. Genetic susceptibility to heroin addiction: a candidate gene association study. Genes Brain

and Behavior, 2008; 7 (7): 720

Adapted from materials provided by Rockefeller University.

ABSTRACT

Genetic susceptibility to heroin addiction: a candidate gene association study

O. Levran*,†, D. Londono ‡ , K. O'Hara † , D. A. Nielsen † , E. Peles § , J. Rotrosen ¶ , P. Casadonte ¶ , S. Linzy**, M. Randesi † , J. Ott ‡,†† , M. Adelson †,§,** M. J. Kreek †
† The Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, and ‡The Laboratory of Statistical Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA, §Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research, Tel Aviv Elias Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, ¶VA New York Harbor Healthcare System and NYU School of Medicine New York, NY and **Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse, Treatment and Research, Las Vegas, NV, USA, and ††Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Correspondence to *O. Levran, The Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, 1230 York Avenue, Box 171, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA. E-mail: levrano@rockefeller.edu

KEYWORDS: Association study, candidate gene, heroin addiction

Heroin addiction is a chronic complex disease with a substantial genetic contribution. This study was designed to identify genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to develop heroin addiction by analyzing 1350 variants in 130 candidate genes. All subjects had Caucasian ancestry. The sample consisted of 412 former severe heroin addicts in methadone treatment, and 184 healthy controls with no history of drug abuse. Nine variants, in six genes, showed the lowest nominal P values in the association tests (P < 0.01). These variants were in noncoding regions of the genes encoding the mu (OPRM1; rs510769 and rs3778151), kappa (OPRK1; rs6473797) and delta (OPRD1; rs2236861, rs2236857 and rs3766951) opioid receptors; the neuropeptide galanin (GAL; rs694066); the serotonin receptor subtype 3B (HTR3B; rs3758987) and the casein kinase 1 isoform epsilon (CSNK1E; rs1534891). Several haplotypes and multilocus genotype patterns showed nominally significant associations (e.g. OPRM1; P = 0.0006 and CSNK1E; P = 0.0007). Analysis of a combined effect of OPRM1 and OPRD1 showed that rs510769 and rs2236861 increase the risk of heroin addiction (P = 0.0005). None of these associations remained significant after adjustment for multiple testing. This study suggests the involvement of several genes and variants in heroin addiction, which is worthy of future study.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice: Medicaid Medicare New Rule Put on Hold

2008-10-05T17:31:00.002-04:00

October 3, 2008

NAMA has been working behind the scenes with provider organizations regarding a New Rule proposed by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare that would set low limits for both Medicaid and Medicare. But the greatest impact it would have had would be to stop all Medicaid funding for methadone treatment.

It was worded in a way that if Medicare did not cover a service then Medicaid would also have to eliminate that service. It not only impacted methadone treatment but many other services that are not provided within a hosptial, such as: dialysis, women's services, HIV services, disabled children and mental health. Since the majority of programs are not hospital based and Medicaid funding would be ended.

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare also proposed 6 other rules that have also been put on hold until April 2009.

Here are some documents you can read about the rule.

Upper Payment Limit Federal Register
CMS PROPOSED RULE Revised
CMS Upper Payment Limit Rule-Coalition Response
Comment on Outpatient Hospital

Victory for Addiction Equity: Wellstone-Domenici Bill Passed by Congress and Signed by President Today

2008-10-05T17:21:00.001-04:00

After twelve years frustrating hard work determined advocacy has finally produced the victory. Today Congress passed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 - comprehensive mental health and addiction parity legislation in honor of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. The bill was included in financial bailout package passed by the Senate on Monday and the House today. It now moves to the President's desk.

The parity bill does not require health-insurance plans to cover addiction or mental health, but insurers will now be barred from imposing any caps or limits on behavioral healthcare service that are not applied to other health conditions. Most insurance plans do include behavioral-healthcare coverage, and advocates say that past experience shows that passage of state-level parity laws has not led to insurers dropping such coverage.

We are still only half way there but that is better than not being there at all. The bill will start to pave the way so that all Americans can receive help for their addiction.

NAMA salutes Faces & Voices for their strong support of this bill and medication assisted treatment.

Gulf Coast Area: Did Emergency Preparations Work?

2008-09-07T12:55:00.001-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

For Release
September 6, 2008

Did Gulf Coast Programs Give Patients Enough Preparations for Gustav?

Policy Makers and Regulators are all congratulating one another for the great work done during Gustav. Patients got out of town and were given enough medication until they could get back. Thus far no complaints. However all seemed to go well because Gustav ended up a Category 2 hurricane but what if it had been a Category 4 or greater.

NAMA needs to know if patients in the Gulf Coast Area had the correct emergency information to get through a larger hurricane. Can you answer some questions?

* * *

When did your program notify you to come in and get emergency evacuation medication?

If your area was not evacuated then did your program give you information what to do in case evacuation occurred?

Whether you evacuated or not how many days medication were you given and on what day?

Were you told what to do in case you could not return within the amount of days medication you were given?

Were you given information of what to do in case you could not reach your program after the hurricane?

Program Name:

City:

State:

Send your answers to edirector@methadone.org

We will take your answers and notify the proper authorities about what happened right and what did not happen that should have.

Hurricane Gustav Threatens Texas to Mobile, Including New Orleans

2008-08-30T19:14:00.001-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

For Release
August 31, 2008

While most Americans are enjoying the Labor Day Weekend residents from Galveston. TX to Mobile, Alabama are being warned about Hurricane Gustav. In the middle of the estimated path is New Orleans.

NAMA has already begun to get phone calls from patients in the area who are being told to evacuate. One patient was just given 4 days medication and no other instructions in the case they could not return. Neither were they provided with a letter stating their dose and other information.

Advise to Patients

If you need to evacuate get a letter from your clinic. The standard Travel Letter that is given to patients should be enough that states you are patient, that you need to take ____ mgs of methadone a day and information about contacting the clinic.

Get a list of programs in the area in case you can not get back to your program and the State Methadone Authority.

New Orleans Programs

DRD New Orleans Medical Clinic
417 South Johnson Street
New Orleans, LA 70112 (504) 524-4701

Desire Narcotic Rehabilitation Ctr Inc
4116 Old Gentilly Road
New Orleans, LA 70126 (504) 301-8871

New Orleans Narcotic Treatment Center
7606 Westbank Expressway
Marrero, LA 70072 (504) 347-1120

Choices of Louisiana Inc
128 Woodland Drive
La Place, LA 70068 (985) 651-3777

Baton Rouge Treatment Center Inc
11445 Reiger Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70809 (225) 932-9867

If you need a program farther than New Orleans or you are in another state you can use the Treatment Facility Locator at:

http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/

State Methadone Authorities

Brenda Lands
Louisiana Office for Addictive Disorders
1201 Capital Access Road, 4th Floor
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Telephone: (225) 342-8735
Fax: (225) 342-3931

Christine Ramirez
1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756-3199
Telephone: (512) 834-6700 x2146
Fax: (512) 834-6638

Robert Wynn
Department of Mental Health
P.O. Box 301410, 100 North Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130-1410
Telephone: (334) 242-3956
Fax: (334) 242-0759

NAMA will continue to post information as it becomes available.

Finally NAMA Website Goes Back Up

2008-08-30T18:51:00.001-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

For Release
August 31, 2008

It has been nearly 6 months since Calyx the service that has hosted the NAMA website went down. Several attempts to get the server up and running again have been attempted and failed. This left NAMA with the problem of having to find a service that could host a site the size and activity of the website but that would not be expensive. We think we have found it and so the website is slowing going back up.

It will take us several weeks to get the website up and equal to what it was when it went down. Many pages need updating while others may have broken links, missing pages, lost images and vanished pictures but we will track them down and upload them if you tell us what is missing.

Tell Us When You Find An Error

If you find something missing on a page send us a message with:

the name of the page,

the link and

what is missing,

to: whoops@methadone.org

Kerry Wolf New We Speak Methadone Administrator

2008-08-30T18:38:00.001-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.6262

For Release
August 6, 2008

NAMA is pleased to announce that Kerry Wolf will be the new We Speak Methadone (WSM) Administrator. Ms. Wolf has been the second in command at WSM for several years and is already known at the forum for her commitment to spreading the truth and telling the untold success stories about methadone. Her energies sometimes seem to be endless and we at NAMA are very fortunate to have her.

Charles "Hoss" Kitts has been the administrator of WSM for many years. He will most undoubtedly be missed for his caring and concern for patients that need help. However Hoss is not actually leaving the family of NAMA as he will still be Director of the West Virginia chapter and we hope to see him posting at WSM on occasion.

Methadone Promising in Hard-To-Treat Leukemia

2008-08-04T22:52:00.003-04:00

By Karla Gale
Reuters, August 1, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Methadone, a drug used to treat people addicted to heroin and other opioid drugs, holds promise as a new treatment for leukemia, especially treatment-resistant leukemia, according to results of a study.

Laboratory tests show that methadone kills leukemia cells without harming healthy blood cells, researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany report in a paper published today in the journal Cancer Research. Methadone was even effective in killing leukemia cells resistant to killing by chemotherapy and radiation.

"Leukemia cells express opioid receptors, to which methadone binds," study chief Dr. Claudia Friesen told Reuters Health. "Surprisingly, we found that methadone kills leukemia cells efficiently. We never expected that."

These results "provide the foundation for new strategies using methadone as an additional anticancer drug in leukemia therapy, especially when conventional therapies are less effective," the investigators conclude.

"We find this very exciting, because once conventional treatments fail, which occurs in old and also in young patients, they have no other options," Friesen said.

She predicts that methadone will have similar effects in other cancers that express opioid receptors. "In our lab we found that we also can kill solid tumors," she added.

Friesen and her team are studying methadone alone and in combination with other chemotherapy drugs in animal models of cancer.

SOURCE: Cancer Research, August 1, 2008.

Other Links

Methadone Breaks Resistance In Untreatable Forms Of Leukemia
Science Daily, August 4, 2008

Methadone Kills Resistant Leukemia Cells
HealthDay News, August 1, 2008

Lab Study Shows Methadone Breaks Resistance in Untreatable Forms of Leukemia
American Association for Cancer Research, August 1, 2008

Posted: August 4, 2008

Indiana Poses New Regulations That Would Force Hundreds Out of Treatment

2008-02-15T16:58:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Persons: Roxanne Baker, President
president@methadone.org
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
edirector@methadone.org
1.212.595.nama

For Release
February 15, 2008

Indiana Poses New Regulations
That Would Force Hundreds Out of Treatment

The Indiana Legislature is proposing some excessive regulations that will force hundreds of patients out of treatment. And those seeking treatment will find barriers that make it nearly impossible to access treatment.

The Indiana House Bill 1258 calls for:

Excessive and unnecessary urine testing,

Discharge any patient testing positive for any drug not in their treatment plan,

Not allow anyone under 18 years in a program unless they are being treated there or transporting a patient,

Requires a designated driver for any patient leaving the program.

These regulations will force programs to discharge patients that test positive for any drug that is not part of their treatment plan. This means that any patient that develops a secondary addiction while in treatment will be denied treatment for their opiate dependence no matter how well they may be doing with it.

Every woman with children will now have the additional burden of a babysitter so that they can attend the program.

Making patients have a designated driver is really against all the scientific evidence that is known about a stable patient taking methadone.

This is an issue of legislators delving into something and making assumptions about things that they know nothing about. They do not understand that opiate addiction is a brain disorder and that methadone is a medication and they do not view patients as seeking recovery.

It is interesting to note that these regulations do not include other powerful medications that can cause impairment. They are focused on methadone and patients in medicated assisted treatment because they harbor prejudices and stigma towards them.

Methadone has been evaluated for over forty years throughout the world. Studies evaluating the functional potential of methadone patients have found no differences between the patients and control groups. In fact in some studies the patients had a faster reaction time and another study that followed driving records found patients were safer drivers (Gordon, 1994).

What is the most disturbing is that Indiana legislators are making regulations without consulting any professionals, researchers or patients to first assess the needs and impact of the new regulations. One would hope that there intention would be to make Indiana a better place for all of it’s citizens.

The MAG is Working in Indiana

The MAG of Indiana NAMA’s Indiana Chapter is working to mobilize patients and advocates to speak out against this legislation. Even if you live in another state it is important that you write to these legislators and tell them how devastating this will be to patients.

What Can You Do?

You can download the following to help with contacting legislators:

Indiana Legislators Target Methadone Patients Flyer

Who to Write To

District Reps for methadone clinics

House Bill 1258

Courier-Journal Article

Patient Info Sheet for SB 0157 (Designated Driver)

Petition for Designated Driver

Phone Script for Designated Driver

Porter Starke Ready to Open New Indiana Clinic

2007-11-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director
nama.president@Verizon.net
1.212.595.6262

For Release
November 12, 2007

Located in Valparaiso the clinic is attached to the main Porter-Starke Services building has everything in place except the actual methadone according to advocate and director Carmen Arlt. The clinic has been inspected by state and federal officials and is now waiting for the federal certificate. Once the certificate is received the clinic could be open within days. According to Arlt they are expecting a large number of transfer patients from the Gary area since many of the patients that attend those clinics are from the area

Carmen Arlt is also director of NAMA’s Indiana Chapter The MAG and is one of the few patient advocates to be recognized with the prestigious Marie (Dole-Nyswander) Award.

About
Since its beginning over 40 years ago methadone maintenance has been the most effective treatment for narcotic addiction. In spite of its success, methadone maintenance is often disparaged as a "substitute drug" by those who ignore the positive benefits that it has clearly brought to society. Such attitudes negatively impact on methadone treatment in a variety of ways, but it is the methadone patients themselves who are particularly stigmatized and harmed. Patients are mistreated and misinformed and considered as social outcasts. They are victims of discrimination in health care, the job market, education, insurance and housing. The National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) was organized as a formal mechanism for methadone patients to voice their own needs and to form a strong, unified public presence on their behalf. The primary objective of NAMA is to advocate for the patient in treatment by destigmatizing and empowering methadone patients. First and foremost, it can confront the negative stereotypes that impact on the self esteem and worth of many methadone patients with a powerful affirmation of pride and unity.
Website: http://www.methadone.org

Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, ediretor@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/FAX: 212.595.nama

See attached article from Post Tribune.
###

Attachment
Final touches on clinic
November 10, 2007
By Teresa Auch Post-Tribune staff writer
VALPARAISO -- The new methadone clinic at Porter-Starke Services is ready to open, just as soon as the federal government gives approval.
The clinic, one of 13 in the state, was supposed to open July 1, Carmen Arlt, director of addiction services said. But the group wanted to put in more safety features, such as cameras and locks, to make the community and staff feel safe.
"We were slowed down by the process of renovation," Arlt said.
The clinic, which is attached to the main Porter-Starke Services building at 701 Wall St. in Valparaiso, has everything in place except the actual methadone.
A camera hovers over the entrance, as do several others in the lobby. Patients coming to get a prescription of methadone must first sign in at a front window.
They then move to another window, walled off from the lobby, to take their dosage.
The clients must sign electronically and then swallow the liquid in front of the registered nurse giving the dose, nurse staff member Don Sison said.
"Sometimes we engage in conversation after they have taken it to make sure they have swallowed it," Sison said.
The conversation also allows the nurses to get a feel for how patients are doing.
The clinic includes several side rooms for physicals, mandatory drug tests and interviews. Anyone who wants to become, and remain, a patient must prove they have tried other measures and that they are making improvements in their lives, Arlt said.
As for the dispensary, the room is made of steel walls, the door has a double lock, along with motion detectors.
Anyone entering the room has to have a nursing certificate posted on a board inside. The methadone supplies are kept in a special safe.
Arlt said the clinic has passed all levels of state and federal regulations.
"We're actually more safe over here than a bank," she said.
As soon as the federal government gives official certification, the clinic can be open within a few days.
That could happen anywhere from days to a few weeks from now, she said.
Arlt said she expects to see a heavy volume of patients soon.
The state government has warned her that about 60 percent of the patients who go to the clinics in Gary are from Porter County and will likely go to Porter-Starke once its clinic opens.

Leaders of NAMA’s Swedish Affiliate Svenska Brukarforeningen (SBF) Report to Police for Handing Out Clean Needles

2007-05-17T23:25:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President
nama.president@Verizon.net
1.212.595.nama

For Release
May 17, 2007

On May 4 SBF’s President, Berne Stålenkrantz and the Stockhom Director, Johan Stenbäck presented themselves to the Norrmalm Police Station in Stockholm for handing out clean needles to drug users.

The purpose of the action was to get an official assessment of the their crime and to bring to the public the fact that Sweden does not allow syringes to be sold in pharmacies as is done is all other countries in the European Union (EU). SBF is also considering reporting Sweden to the European Union for its failure to comply with EU rules surrounding the common market.

In southern Sweden needle exchange programs have been keeping the spread of HCV nd HIV under control for the past 20 years. County and Town Councils have been allowed to establish needle exchange programmes if they so wish. However in Stockholm no such programs have been established.

According to Stålenkrantz if the penalty is mild they will continue with what they are doing. However after SBF publicized that they were providing drug users with clean needles the organization suddenly found its financing from Stockholm City Council under threat.

Stålenkrantz also reported that a colleague suffering from a Hepatitis C was planning to report the city's social services department to the police because he has contracted a deadly illness after being refused clean syringes. He will also state that he was a victim of SBF’s having received clean syringes from the organization.

Needle exchange programs have been used worldwide for the past twenty years and provides a way for drug users to avoid the risks of drug use as well as a way to access support services including treatment.

"We are handing out syringes for purely humanitarian reasons. And we are forced to do so since society is not providing this type of healthcare," said Stålenkrantz.

NAMA Calls for An End To Using The Term Substitution Treatment Asking That Governments and Their Agencies and Organizations End Its’ Use

2007-05-04T15:43:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact:
Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA (212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release:
May 4, 2007

The National Alliance of Methadone Advocates, our international affiliates and chapters in the United States call on all governments, governmental agencies and international organizations to end the use of “Substitution Treatment” when referring to medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opiate addiction.

The term “Substitution Treatment” infers that any medication used in the treatment of opiate dependence is a substitute. No other medication is referred to in this manner creating significant misunderstandings towards the medication and especially the patients. The use of “Substitution Treatment” stigmatizes patients receiving treatment for the opiate dependence, promotes ignorance and pollutes the development and growth of this life saving medication for those needing help for their opiate dependence.

Governments have rejected buprenorphine and particularly methadone because they it is viewed as merely a substitute for heroin or other illicit drugs. Officials in rejecting these medications have expressed the belief that their citizens should have the right to an effective treatment. Thus hundreds of thousands of opiate dependent individuals “are being denied” the most effective treatment because “Substitution Treatment” is misleading and confusing.

In the United States the term Substitute and Substitution Treatment is only used to denigrate both methadone and buprenorphine treatments. Calling these medications a substitute has been used to hurt Patients by denying them opportunities and other benefits that they deserve and have worked for. Thus, in the United States only those against methadone and buprenorphine call them a Substitute.

At Bratislava in 2006 Dr. Icro Maremmani, the President of Europad called for his European colleagues to end the use of “Substitution Treatment. He asked his colleagues to follow the philosophy and principles of Drs. Dole and Nyswander who believed that opioid dependence and addiction was a medical condition and conceptualized the drug dependent person as a person with a brain metabolic disorder.

The last years of Dr. Dole’s life were spent working to resolve the stigma and prejudice that affects patients in medication assisted treatment. Dr. Dole was acutely aware of the stigma that terms like “Substitution Treatment” create towards patients. He always spoke out against any inference that medication assisted treatment was a substitute. In his experience, methadone and more recently buprenorphine were medications that stabilize the endogenous opioid system damaged by narcotics.

We, at the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates believe that the use of Substitute or Substitution Treatment denigrates this treatment. And that by denigrating this treatment patients receiving medication assisted treatment are injured.

As patients we reserve the right to define ourselves and our treatment. It is therefore the spirit of our own self identity we ask governments and their agencies, organizations and professionals to cease using “Substitution Treatment. Methadone and buprenorphine are medical treatments and should be defined as “Medication Assisted Treatment” or “Opiate Agonist Therapy”.

It is therefore in the spirit of our own self identity we ask governments and their agencies, organizations and professionals to cease using “Substitution Treatment. Methadone and buprenorphine are "medical treatments" and should be defined as such. However if you must put a name to addiction treatment then we suggest “Medication Assisted Treatment” or “Opiate Agonist Therapy”.

Méta d'âme Announces New Housing Initiative for Methadone Patients in Montreal

2007-04-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Persons:

Joycelyn Woods, President
nama.president@Verizon.net
1.212.595.nama

Guy Pierre Levesque, Méta d'âme
guypierrelevesque@yahoo.com

For Release:
April 12, 2007

Méta d'âme NAMA’s affiliate in Montreal has announced a new housing project that will provide housing and peer services to methadone patients. Construction of a new building will begin in August with the building of 22 units that consisting of studio and 1-bedroom apartments. The building will have a green roof and community hall for meetings. Meta d'âme will own and manage the project with peer workers in collaboration with clinic referrals. Guy Pierre Lévesque spokesperson for Méta d'âme reports that the organization will also occupy half of the ground floor starting June 2008.

The housing project is named Promethéus (Promethe) from the Greek god. A favorite of Zeus Promethe was punisheed for disobedience because he stole fire from the gods and gave it to mortals for their use. This was the beginning of enlightenment for man. An appropriate name for the project Promethean refers to events or people of great creativity, intellect and boldness.

Also in the planning is a French International Methadone Conference and other medicated assisted treatment (MAT) for opiate dependency. Translations will be made available in English. Méta d'âme will be involved in the planning and also include peer-working at the conference. In addition to the conference Méta d'âme is involved in the development of a Canadian Methadone Association.

“It is possible to make things happened if we believe in what we do,” says Lévesque. Therefore it appears that the impetus of Méta d'âme is creating some important advances in Canada.

MOUNT SINAI TO ABANDON AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC PATIENTS OF EAST HARLEM

2007-04-09T16:25:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact:
Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA (212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release:
April 9, 2007

The Mount Sinai Hospital is planning to close the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center (NRC) a program with an international reputation for excellence in treating opiate addiction. After 37 years of providing rehabilitation services to Upper East Side residents afflicted with opiate addiction, Mount Sinai has determined that there is no longer any room for the program.

Even after accepting funds for the renovation of the facility from the New York State Office of Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) the hospital appears to be moving to quickly close NRC. In NRC’s place Mount Sinai is planning a multi-million dollar project that will include luxury high-rise apartments. It is difficult to comprehend Mount Sinai’s decision to eliminate a program that has been important to the local neighborhood. The situation could be easily averted since NRC can be easily relocated to the selected site that is renovated, licensed and ready to open. Therefore it is difficult to understand why Mt. Sinai can not find a way to keep these valuable services.

Has Mount Sinai Forgotten it’s Mission?

The National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) has already begun to hear from fearful patients and their concerns about having to go to another program that they do not know. Certainly, patients will have to travel into other neighborhoods for treatment, change their schedules and develop new relationships with program staff. This creates stress for patients and their families. And now with fewer options to treatment in East Harlem any increases in drug use could easily develop into a public health crisis.

NRC that serves 700 patients has a international reputation for providing quality medicated assisted treatment and is known for having exceptional services. The programs that will have to take on the responsibility of accepting these patients do not have the services that NRC has developed over the years. Programs in Northern Manhattan are already operating close to capacity and certainly do not have room for large numbers of patients creating a carry over effect. If the 7 closest programs accepted 100 patients each the burden on them would be tremendous. Program staff already over worked and stressed will not be able to provide the level of care that they were providing. Therefore a large number of patients from an area with pockets of destitution will not be able to obtain the services that they need to change their lives. In addition to the 700 patients from NRC at least another 3500 patients will be affected by the closing of NRC.

The Harlem area and nearby neighborhoods will be impacted from the effects of the closing of NRC. The improvements that the Harlem area has experienced in the last decade will begin to deteriorate. Individuals seeking help for their opiate dependence will be turned away from local programs, a rarity in New York City. Crime in East Harlem will undoubtedly increase and spill into neighboring communities. The standard of living will be reduced for all as hospitals admissions increase and other public health indicators increase (i.e. HIV, overdose deaths, TB). Therefore the impact of NRC closing on the community and on the city is not insignificant.

NAMA urges Mount Sinai to re-think their decision and to continue with the decision to utilize the site that has been selected and is ready for the program to move into. Proceeding with the current decision to close NRC is an indication that the needs of community are not important in comparison to the new luxury high rise residents. NAMA believes that the patients of NRC and the East Harlem community deserve more from Mount Sinai and will make every effort to insure that the patients of NRC and the community are not forgotten. East Harlem is a vibrant community and the people deserve the right to have access to medicated assisted treatment within their community.

STOP METHADONE IGNORANCE

2007-03-10T21:45:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release
Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President

For Release:
March 10, 2007

It is not uncommon for individuals with a long history of illicit opiate use to remain in methadone treatment as a long term patient. Many often say that without methadone treatment they would probably be dead. Other forms of treatment were not effective and they had come to believe that they would die an "addict". Numerous studies have demonstrated that the majority of persons who leave methadone treatment revert to illicit heroin or other opioid use in relatively short time though of course there are exceptions.

NIDA and NIH considers "addiction" as a chronic relapsing brain disorder. A full text article, The Neurobiology of Addictive Behaviors and its Relationship to Methadone Maintenance by Stimmel and Kreek is available from, http://www.mssm.edu/msjournal/67/page375_380.pdf

You get an excellent idea of the benefits of methadone maintenance by visiting a petition web site that was recently established by NAMA to counter anti-methadone groups trying to restrict this valuable therapy. Read the patient reports on the petition and you will get a significant understanding of the benefits to the patients of this form of therapy.

However recently there have been an increase in methadone overdose deaths attributed to an increase in prescribing methadone for pain medication. Also methadone has been in the media recently adding to the fervor and sensationalism.

The change in regulations created a more realistic situation for both programs and patients seeking recovery. However recently several sensational websites are promoting stricter regulations on methadone treatment in an effort to end the increase overdose deaths. These measures will be ineffective as most of the deaths are due to a number of factors including mishandling of medication. In an effort to protect our life saving treatment and to make methadone safer for pain management NAMA recommends education rather than restrictions.

We are also asking patients and their families to sign a petition "Methadone Patients Against Hysteria and Further Restrictions". The petition in brief, reads as follows:

We are Methadone Patients, Providers, Families and Friends AGAINST the Hysteria which is calling for Further Restrictions on the Prescribing of Methadone."
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/360731625

NAMA Announces NAMA NorCal's House Party Rokki's Education Party for HBO's Addition Special

2007-03-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact(s):
Rokki Baker, CMA, NAMA Vice President and NAMA NorCal Director
bluelady16.1@netzero.net
Joycelyn Woods, President
nama.president@Verizon.net

For Release:
March 5, 2007

All across the country people are coming together to watch and discuss the new HBO series, ADDICTION. Americans will be coming together to discuss what needs o happen in their communities to make alcohol, drug treatment and recovery support available and show the power of long-term recovery. For to long patients in medicated assisted treatment (MAT) have not thought of themselves as being in recovery and it is time to change. Join NAMA NorCal for Rokki's Education to discuss MAT and recovery and ways to introduce it to the MAT community. This is our opportunity to be counted.

What is HBO's ADDICTION Project

The documentary, ADDICTION, examines recent advancements in research and effective new treatments. It demonstrates that treatment and recovery is possible. And it is positive to MAT by emphasizing that addiction is a brain disease.

ADDICTION is a series of four programs that premieres from Thursday, March 15, to Sunday, March 18. In participating cable systems it will be free for the weekend.

NAMA NorCal will host an ADDICTION ACTION House Party.

When: 03/16/07 04:00 PM

Where: NAMA-NorCal
3400 Portola Drive #A2
Santa Cruz, California

RSVP: Guestlist

Contact Organizer: Roxanne Baker

Click here for a complete series broadcast schedule.
http://www.addictionaction.org/watch/broadcast.html

Visit Addiction Action.
http://www.addictionaction.org/

Visit NAMA website.
http://www.methadone.org/

Together, we can make a difference.

New Jersey Advocates Announces New State Access Initiative

2007-02-03T23:48:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact(s):
Claude Hopkins, CMA-RMA (732) 678-5172
NJadvocate@Comcast.net
Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA (212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release:
February 3, 2007

NAMA's New Jersey Chapter Announces
New State Access Initiative

New Jersey Advocates NAMA's official chapter for the state of New Jersey announces a new state access initiative. The New Jersey Access Initiative (NJAI) is a program of the Division of Addiction Services and administered by the Center for Family Services, Inc..

The program was created to "enhance" traditional substance abuse treatment to New Jersey residents addicted to opiates. NJAI provides funding for assessments, inpatient detoxification, opiate drug treatment utilizing a modality of medicated assisted treatment (i.e. methadone and buprenorphine), drug-free treatment and Recovery Mentoring services.

Eligible MAT patients actively engaged in treatment will be given a choice of a Certified Recovery Mentor who will enhance their care during treatment and facilitate their transition from treatment to long-term recovery and a successful life in the community. The Recovery Mentor Associates will assist with brokering necessary services and removing the common barriers to recovery.

This program is presently accepting all eligible applicants who is suffering from an addiction to opiates. At the present anyone who is attempting to get onto a methadone program but is having difficulty due to a lack of funding or anyone who is presently on a methadone program but is in the process of loosing their status as a patient due to not having the funds to continue would most likely be eligible for a voucher to pay for treatment. This voucher would give them access to treatment in a methadone treatment facility for 6 mos and any needed covered services along with a Recovery Mentor.

Anyone interested in this program can contact the New Jersey Addiction Hotline at 1-800-238-2333, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and ask to be placed on the access initiative program.

Not all New Jersey MTPs have asked to be part of the program however, as NJAI expands more will become providers for this initiative. There are several drug-free providers throughout the state. You will receive a list of all eligible providers once you receive your voucher number over the phone. You can then take your number to one of the approved providers to receive your assessment which starts the treatment process.

Anyone needing assistance can contact Claude Hopkins at the phone number or email below.

Phone: (732) 678-5172
Email: NJadvocate@Comcast.net

Call for Nominations of the Richard Lane Patient Advocacy Award

2006-12-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact(s):
Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA (212) 595-NAMA/6262
Fred Christie AFIRM (516) 897-1330
Chris Kelly ARM (202) 246-6850

For Release:
December 29, 2006

Call for Nominations of the

Richard Lane Patient Advocacy Award

The National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) in collaboration with Advocates for the Integration of Methadone and Recovery (AFIRM) and Advocates for Recovery with Medication (ARM) is seeking Nominations for the Richard Lane Patient Advocacy Award to be presented by the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) at the 2007 National Conference.

The award will be presented during the Conference Banquet to be held in San Diego (October 20-24, 2007). The recipient will receive roundtrip Coach Class airfare to the conference, two (2) nights in the hotel and full conference registration.

Richard Land was a long-term heroin user who, upon release from prison in 1967, was instrumental in establishing one of the Nation’s first methadone treatment programs. In 1974, he became the Executive Director of Man Alive (Baltimore) and later served as Vice President of the American Methadone Treatment Association and as Vice Chairman of the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maryland. Mr. Lane was a passionate advocate for methadone treatment and, by disclosing his own treatment experiences, provided inspiration to patients and colleagues alike. This award was established in 1995 and recognizes extraordinary achievements in patient advocacy.

The following criteria should be applied in making the selection:

Only one (1) nominee can be submitted to the AATOD Conference Awards Committee. There may be a number of nominees, who will be fielded by The Committee in the methadone patient advocacy movement, however, The Committee will be responsible for submitting only one (1) “consensus” nominee to receive this honor.

The nominee must have been involved in the field of methadone advocacy for a period of five (5) years.

The nominee must have been actively engaged in methadone advocacy for a period of five (5) years.

The nominee must have made meaningful and consistent contributions, which have had a significant impact on opioid treatment within a state or region of the United States.

The Committee will be responsible for completing the nomination form and retaining letters of support describing the nominee’s achievements, which are required before any final nomination can be submitted to the AATOD Awards Committee.

All submissions should include the completed Richard Land Patient Advocacy Award Nomination Form that is included.

Deadline for submissions is February 14, 2007.
Please email to nama.president@verizon.net

Please distribute to all interested persons.

Download Nomination Form:
http://www.methadone.org/downloads/nomination_form.pdf

Download Press Release

http://www.methadone.org/downloads/press_release_richard_lane.pdf

NAMA is Proud to Announce the World Famous CODAC All-Stars Holiday Music Jam at the Catfish Cafe

2006-12-06T12:09:00.001-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President
nama.president@Verizon.net
212.595.nama

For Release:
December 6, 2006

NAMA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE
THE WORLD FAMOUS CODAC ALL-STARS

HOLIDAY MUSIC JAM AT THE CATFISH CAFE

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Providence, RI

The CODAC All-Stars and Friends bring you a night of music, stories and holiday favorites.

When
Saturday December 9th at 7 PM
Come early for the Jam Session 2-6 PM

Where
The Catfish Cafe at The Mediator
50 Rounds Avenue, Providence RI

Admission
Donation
Or A New Unwrapped Present for Kids 1-16 Years

Refreshments Available

The Mediator is easy to find - just off Narragansett Avenue (near Reservoir)
or from Elmwood and Roger Williams Avenue
Call 401-263-7232 for Directions

For More Information
WWW.CATFISHCAFE.INFO
OPEN JAM SESSION FROM 2-6PM

James Gillen "Catfish Jim" is the manager of the CODAC All-Stars and founder of Tales from a Small Planet a project in which Gillen uses his passion for storytelling, music and audience participation. Gillen also uses his storytelling abilities to give presentations on substance abuse and tobacco prevention in schools and other facilities. Additionally, an experiment using musical therapy to help people recovering from addictions tap into the creative energy within has blossomed into an ever-expanding group of musicians, singers and drummers. They are now known as the World-Famous CODAC All-Stars. This group has appeared as part of the Catfish Café, which included a performance that brought down the house last year at the City of Providence’s New Year’s Eve Bright Night event.

Jim Gillen is a director of NAMA's Rhode Island chapter MARC, a Licensed Chemical Dependency Professional (LCDP) and Certified Criminal Justice Professional (CCJP) in the state of Rhode Island.

The state of Rhode Island's Division of Substance Abuse presented Jim with the 2003 Counselor of the Year Award. In March of 2006 Jim was named recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award for RI for outstanding service to the community.

For booking information for “Tales From a Small Planet” or the “CODAC All Stars”, e-mail: planetcatfish@cox.net

Rhode Island MAT Patients Celebrate Recovery

2006-09-17T21:03:00.002-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President
nama.president@Verizon.net
212.595.nama

For Release:
September 17, 2006

Rhode Island MAT Patients Celebrate Recovery

Reported by Jim Gillen
MARCAP/NAMA
planetcatfish@cox.net

Yesterdays RI's celebration was beyond belief in a good way, from perfect weather to a HUGE crowd. Did I say a HUGE peaceful, joy filled crowd!!!!!

The role that medication assisted patients, staff from clinics, methadone advocates were a big,big part of this celebration. From the band (MAT patients) to the set up and break down crew - first ones in and last ones out.

We painted faces, distributed food, blew up over a hundred balloons, set up tents. I wanted to put the NAMA/MARCAP table next to NA but they came later - wouldn't that just be a hoot!!! Oh well, there is always next year!!!

This event to me is a great blueprint for success - mix it with a big general public event !!! Go figure!

We got our MARCAP first aid kits with phone number and methadone.org on it. If any one wants a few we could send some off.

Sharon Dembowski of NENAMA-MOM was great yesterday as usual and has photos of the event.

Keep the faith!!!

SAMHSA Awards $9.8 million for Peer to Peer Recovery Support Services

2006-09-10T01:42:00.001-04:00

Date: Sept 6 , 2006
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press
Telephone: 240-276-2130

SAMHSA Awards $9.8 million for Peer to Peer
Recovery Support Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of seven Recovery Support Services grants totaling $9.8 million over four years. These grants to community-based organizations are designed to deliver and evaluate peer-to-peer recovery support services that help prevent relapse and promote sustained recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders.

"Peer recovery support services are expected to extend and enhance the treatment continuum," said Assistant Surgeon General Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA's Acting Deputy Administrator. "These grants will help prevent relapse and maximize the opportunities to create a lifetime of recovery and wellness for self, family, and community. And, when individuals do experience relapse, recovery support services can help minimize the negative effects and if needed make sure there is an appropriate referral to treatment."

The seven awards in five states are funded up to $350,000 per year in total costs. Continuation of these awards is subject to the availability of funds as well as the progress achieved by the grantees. Total funding for year one is $2.4 million.

The Recovery Community Services Program grantees are as follows:

Arizona

Pima Prevention Partnership, Tucson -- $350,000 to recruit and train a 10-member core group of peer leaders in recovery, who will develop and implement the service infrastructure in four months. Recovery Services will be offered at the partnership's Learning Center and offer peer-led emotional, informational, instrumental and affiliation support services five afternoons/evenings per week, including Saturdays.

Tohono O'odham Nation, Sells -- $350,000 to implement a comprehensive peer-to-peer system to support individuals in recovery with a full range of recovery support services provided locally in the 11 districts that make up the federally recognized tribe, which has one of the highest rates of substance abuse among all populations in the United States .

Georgia

Recovery Consultants of Atlanta, Inc. -- $350,000 per year to provide peer-led support services that help sustain Atlanta's inner city addiction recovery community. The program will provide a recovery center offering more than 40 weekly 12-step, faith-based, health-specific (HIV and Hepatitis C, a liver disease), gender-specific and family-specific support groups.

New York

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates, Inc., New York City -- $349,998 per year to provide peer-to-peer recovery support services to patients of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs. The overall goal is to create a climate for recovery among a population usually neglected by the larger recovery community.

Center for Community Alternatives, Inc., Syracuse -- $350,000 per year to develop a network of peer-lead community services for individuals in recovery and who also have past criminal justice involvement. The project will extend services into two additional cities, Rochester and Albany.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma CART System, Oklahoma City-- $350,000 per year to implement Sister to Sister, the states first model of peer-driven substance abuse recovery support services for women in Oklahoma County. This project expects to serve over 580 women in all stages of recovery and their children.

Texas

El Paso Alliance, Inc., El Paso-- $350,000 per year to enable the Recovery Alliance to improve existing services and support the development of new ones through a peer recruiting and retention system.

SAMHSA, is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions, treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service

Letters Needed for Our Friend Dr. Shinderman

2006-09-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President

nama.president@Verizon.net
212.595.nama

For Release:
September 7, 2006

Letters Needed for Our Friend Dr. Shinderman

NAMA, patients and concerned professionals have been watching the situation in Maine concerned that a fellow advocate, Dr. Shinderman would be facing serious criminal charges. On July 20, 2006 a federal jury convicted him of crimes relating to prescribing ancillary medication when the jury was instructed not to consider his good faith in relying on another physician’s permission to prescribe. Specifically when Dr. Shinderman began working in Maine he applied for a state license to prescribe. While waiting for the license approval he was informed that it would be all right for him to use the medical director of the clinic’s license. This was all done in the course of treating patients for ancillary medications. The point is that these were extra doctor’s appointments and the patients were not charged. Only a very few methadone clinics treat patients for other conditions and even fewer do not charge for these services as is typical at CAP Quality Care. This demonstrates Dr. Shinderman’s care of his patients; he really treated his patients and considered their total medical care as part of their addiction treatment.

A civil lawsuit filed by the government against the Westbrook Clinic. The clinic CAP Quality Care is owned by his wife where Dr. Shinderman was a consultant.

The media has sensationalized this case because the clinic was a methadone clinic. Several writers have been using the case to write distorted news and promote their careers. This has been at the expense of all methadone patients without concern for the impact it will have on their lives. This would have never occurred if the same thing had happened in diabetes or pulmonary clinic but because the clinic treats addiction it is easy picking for the media and the DEA.

In spite of the support Dr. Shinderman has received from local officials and policy makers he is facing difficult opposition and needs our support.

Now You Can Help Dr. Shinderman!

He needs letters seeking leniency and extolling his good work. This certainly will not be difficult for advocates because there is a lot that can be said about the good that Dr. Shinderman has done. He has helped individual patients and consulted with other physicians about the problem, research that has impacted medication assisted treatment in the U.S. and abroad, his advocacy and support of patient issues and to how he delivered treatment with dignity and respect.

There are four groups of individuals whose letter of support may be particularly helpful: (1) physicians and other professionals who respect his work and can report to the court both about my contributions to the field of addiction medicine, but also how incarceration will negatively impact the influence of this good work; (2) patients and their families who can report to the court about his impact on their success and survival; (3) family and friends who can talk about his good works, good intentions, and good character; and, (4) government officials who can do the same.

No letter should contain criticism of the Judge or the process. They will not be able to use any letter that contains those. The appeal process will address such issues if they exist.

With regard to other letters to the U.S. Attorney General, Drug Enforcement Administration, Members of Congress and other governmental officials, and the news media, each individual or organization should decide for themselves whether they should make those contacts.

It would be inappropriate for Dr. Shinderman to have any involvement because the prosecutor could then persuade the judge that Dr. Shinderman is attempting to influence sentencing with public opinion appeals.

Support Letters should be sent only to Dr, Spiderman’s legal team and if possible a copy to him because he will need them for any licensing problems which are inevitable in Illinois and Maine.

The letters should go to:
Michael A. Cunniff
McCloskey, Mina & Cunniff, LLC
12 City Center
Portland, ME 04101
Phone (207) 772 6805
Fax (207) 879 9374

The letters should be addressed to:
Honorable D. Brock Hornby
United States District Judge
District of Maine
United States District Court
156 Federal Street
Portland, ME 04101

References

Some of these articles are available at:
President’s Blog:
http://nama-president.blogspot.com/

Debate over methadone has value for Maine, Portland Press Herald (ME) August 2, 2006
Page A6.

Clinic's troubles a setback for addicts By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer
Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME) July 30, 2006 Page B1.

Clinic doctor guilty of forgery By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 21, 2006
Page A1.

No verdict in doctor's fraud trial By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 20, 2006
Page B1.

Doctor defends method of writing prescriptions By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 18, 2006 Page A1.

Federal drug agent testifies against operator of clinic By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 15, 2006 Page B1.

Witnesses: Doctor gave prescriptions By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 12, 2006 Page B1.

Methadone doctor facing prescription-forgery trial By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) July 11, 2006 Page A1.

Methadone doctor argues for dismissal of charges By GREGORY D. KESICH Staff Writer Portland Press Herald (ME) April 29, 2006 Page B1.

METHADONE TREATMENT ENTERS A NEW ERA: NAMA AWARDED RCSP GRANT

2006-09-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact Person: Joycelyn Woods, President

nama.president@Verizon.net
1.212.595.nama

For Release:
September 7, 2006

METHADONE TREATMENT ENTERS A NEW ERA:
NAMA AWARDED RCSP GRANT

This week the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the 7 recipients of the Peer To Peer Recovery Grants. NAMA one of the recipients is the first methadone group to receive a Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP). The grant will provide peer-to-peer recovery support services to patients of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs in the Bronx, NY. The announcement continued, “The overall goal is to create a climate for recovery among a population usually neglected by the larger recovery community.”

This is a project that NAMA has envisioned for a number of years to educate medication assisted treatment patients (MAT) so they understand why they are taking a medication. While MAT patients are educated at the start of treatment when the message comes from another patient the message takes on a new meaning. This importance of peer services was realized during the early years of methadone treatment when Drs. Dole and Nyswander oversaw the program. However as methadone treatment expanded the contributions that MAT patients had made to the program was minimized and almost forgotten. NAMA believes that “peer-to-peer services” was the piece of the program that made methadone treatment so effective during the first 10 years when methadone treatment was initiated. Patients felt they had contributed to the program and therefore felt an ownership towards it.

Patients Were Proud To Be On The Program!

Compare that to today when most patients feel ashamed of the very treatment that has helped them. They feel alone, no longer "dope fiends" but still not a part of society, and with nowhere to turn for support. This situation is hardly conducive to rehabilitation. Yet the majority of methadone patients have proven themselves capable and successful in the practical world, as lawyers and waitresses, construction workers and housewives, teachers and cab drivers.

Medication assisted patients don’t consider themselves as recovering persons primarily because they have never been allowed too. Recovery is defined as a larger construct then sobriety or abstinence. However, Recovery is not possible without sobriety. Until MAT patients understand that sobriety has nothing to do with taking a medication they will not be candidates to move on to the larger construct of recovery that embraces a reengagement with the community based on resilience, health, and hope. The Medication Assisted Recovery Service (MARS) project will work to change the negative atmosphere that patients experience and replace it with a sense of accomplishment, well being and recovery.

The goal of NAMA’s MARS project will be to demonstrate the value of peer-to-peer services and that when these services are paired with the most effective treatment for opiate dependence, namely methadone the results can only be outstanding. NAMA knows that this project would put a “smile” on Dr. Dole’s face who died on August 1st. The later years of his life were spent working to end the stigma and prejudice directed at MAT.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY Call for Papers

2006-08-20T20:33:00.001-04:00

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY

Special Issue
Women and Harm Reduction: Spanning the Globe

Guest editors:
Susan Sherman, Adeeba bte Kamarulzaman and Patti Spittal

Outline abstracts or other short descriptions (not exceeding 400
words) are invited for contributions to a forthcoming special issue of The
International Journal of Drug Policy on “Women and Harm Reduction:
Spanning the Globe.”

The issue aims to examine:
Ø the unique factors (e.g. cultural, relational, legal or economic) that contribute to women's use of psychoactive drugs (licit and illicit);
Ø the stigma associated with women's drug use;
Ø proximal and distal effects of drug use on the lives of women
drug users as well as drug users’ female sexual partners;
Ø examine patterns of use and consequences of different types of
drugs (e.g. ATS, alcohol, opiates);
Ø to explore the effects of different types of drugs;
Ø to examine gender-related policies regarding harm reduction
services and treatment; and
Ø to examine innovative programs targeting women drug users.

The issue aims to include work representing a range of geographic
regions (e.g. former Soviet Union, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast
Asia, Africa, Europe/North America).

Papers must be relevant to harm reduction and policy.

We invite several types of contribution:

Scientific review papers (max 8,000 words)
Original research papers (3,000 – 7,000 words)
Short research reports (up to 1500 words)
Descriptions of interesting (positive or negative) programmes or
policies (2,000 – 5,000 words)
Descriptions of problems (e.g. structural barriers) in gaining
access to needed services or programmes (2,000 – 5,000 words)
Policies and/or historical analyses (3,000 – 7,000 words)
Commentaries (max 4,000 words)
Editorials (1,500 - 2,500 words)

The deadline for outline abstracts is September 23, 2006.

Outline abstracts should be sent to ssherman@jhsph.edu. If selected
for submission, the deadline for completion of draft contributions will
be in December, 2006. Submissions will be made on the Elsevier on-line
electronic submission system and will be subject to peer-review.

Susan G. Sherman, ssherman@jhsph.edu
Pattricia Spittal, pspittal@cfenet.ubc.ca
Adeeba bte Kamarulzaman, ADEEBA@ummc.edu.my

Methadone Survives 4 Decades of Tough Politics (API August 12, 2006)

2006-08-20T20:26:00.002-04:00

Methadone Survives Four Decades of Tough Politics
By DAVID B. CARUSO
Associated Press Writer
Newsday, August 12, 2006

NEW YORK -- In the late 1960s, a band of black militants paid a visit to a Brooklyn medical clinic to discuss the new treatment it was offering heroin addicts, a drug called methadone.

They came armed with bayonets.

"They were going to kill me," recalled Dr. Beny Primm, director of the Addiction Research Treatment Corp. "They thought I was part of the white man's way of enslaving black folk, and one of the ways they enslaved black folk was to put them on methadone."

Methadone's long struggle for acceptance has been a topic of discussion again lately with the death last week of Dr. Vincent Dole, a founding father of its use as a treatment for addiction.

His passing came eight weeks after another force in the treatment of heroin addiction, Beth Israel Medical Center, marked the 40th anniversary of its methadone program, the first to apply the treatment he and Dr. Marie Nyswander developed at Rockefeller University.

The mood of both events was largely celebratory. Study after study has validated Dole's methods, and Beth Israel's methadone program now serves 6,000 patients at 17 clinics, or about 1 in 6 of all methadone patients in the city.

And yet, supporters of the medication also voiced a regret: Even after four decades, methadone is as mistrusted by the public as the days when militants were banging on Beny Primm's door.

"That's been the frustration of my life for the past 35 years," said Dr. Robert Newman, president emeritus of Continuum Health Partners and a longtime overseer of the methadone program at Beth Israel.

"There are no votes to be garnered by supporting methadone. The knee-jerk reaction of most voters when they hear someone wants to shut clinics down is applause."

Today, the medication is still assailed by critics who say it keeps patients in a drug-dependent limbo. Clinics face resistance wherever they open. Public figures from Howard Dean to Tom Cruise have assailed methadone programs as morally flawed.

As recently as 1998, Rudolph Giuliani, then mayor of New York, announced a plan to do away with methadone treatment in all city-run clinics. The goal of every addict, he said, should be total abstinence.

The plan never got off the ground, but it illustrated how little the debate about methadone has changed since Dole and Nyswander first began promoting the medication in 1964.

Drugs like heroin were then viewed predominantly as a criminal problem rather than a medical one. Addicts were shunned, even at hospitals, which rarely had beds for detoxification.

The suggestion that heroin users be switched to methadone, an equally addictive narcotic, struck some as illogical.

One of the early skeptics was Primm, who had taken to commandeering unused office space in Harlem to offer treatment to addicts.

"I didn't understand it," he said. "We're going to legally give narcotics to people? That was kind of antithetical to what we'd been taught."

Over time, though, methadone won him over because of its ability to alleviate the symptoms that usually make addiction so crippling.

Once their dose is calibrated, people taking methadone don't experience withdrawal symptoms or physical cravings for more narcotics. The drug blocks them from experiencing the euphoric rush from injecting heroin.

It is also cheap and long-lasting. Patients down a dose in the morning and feel normal for the rest of the day _ no different than someone taking pills for high cholesterol.

"It's very boring. There is no high to it," said Lisa Torres, an attorney who has taken methadone for 16 years, including her time at law school.

A downside of methadone is that it only works for as long as someone takes it, meaning that most clinics recommend that patients use it daily and indefinitely.

That might not be a burden, patients say, if getting methadone was as easy as filling a prescription.

It is not.

"This is a magnificent medicine," Torres said. "The problem is what you have to do to get it."

At the Vincent P. Dole clinic in Brooklyn, patients begin lining up at 7 a.m., some having traveled for an hour to reach the office. The clinic, tucked behind an unmarked entrance in a busy shopping plaza, is pleasant enough. What makes it grueling, patients say, is the routine.

A majority of people in the program must come every weekday for their dose _ even if they have jobs, or come down with the flu, or get hit by a blizzard. Medical vans carry in elderly or disabled patients too frail to commute.

Aside from doses given out for the weekends, take-home supplies of methadone are a tightly regulated privilege.

Many patients only qualify for two or three weeks of take-home doses following years of clean urine samples, which in some cases are collected in the presence of a staff member to eliminate tampering.

"It's so burdensome. It's so onerous. It's so unbelievably awful," Torres said of the clinic system. "There has to be a better way."

Just what the future holds for the treatment is unclear.

In the past few years, a promising alternative called buprenorphine became available on a limited basis, and researchers have said it could hold some advantages over methadone.

Among other things, buprenorphine lasts longer, is more difficult to overdose on, and can be given in a doctor's office _ a potentially huge advantage over the clinic system.

Newman said it is too soon to tell, but he hopes both drugs will eventually overcome the stigma that still surrounds drug treatment.

"I pin my hopes on the fact that people will realize that it has to be better if there are 50,000 or 200,000 fewer people using heroin on the street, shooting up, getting AIDS," he said.

NAMA Announces the Resignation of Tony Scro and a New Grievance Coordinator Ericka Lear

2006-08-05T20:08:00.002-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact: Joycelyn Woods
nama.president@verizon.net

For Release:
August 5, 2006

NAMA Announces the Resignation of Tony Scro
and a New Grievance Coordinator Ericka Lear

It is with sadness that I am announcing the resignation of Tony Scro from the Board of Directors of NAMA and also from his position as Grievance Coordinator. It has been his knowledge of policy and guidance that has created a respect for NAMA's grievance procedure. His leaving NAMA will most certainly be missed not only by advocates but by providers and policy makers. We wish him well in all future endeavours.

In his place a Grievance Coordinator we are pleased to announce that Erika Lear, CMA will be taking on the challenge. Ms. Lear began her advocacy as Director of Colorado NAMA where she developed a strong relationship with the state methadone authority during the critical years when the new regulations were being implemented. Upon her moving to Pennsylvania she remained to assist in Colorado advocacy issues while working as part of the Pennsylvania NAMA network. In the past year she was appointed as Director of Pennsylvania NAMA and asked to serve as a Regional Director.

An Open Forum to Discuss the Efficacy of Methadone Treatment (Indiana Forum)

2006-07-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates

Press Release

Contact: Carmen Arlt*
Phone: 219.476.4643

For Release: July 26, 2006

Valparaiso, INDIANA

An Open Forum to Discuss the Efficacy of Methadone Treatment

Dr. Alfonso Holliday is inviting the community to an open forum to discuss the efficacy of methadone treatment at the Hampton Inn, 1451 Silhavy Rd. in Valparaiso on Wednesday,

August 2, 2006 from 6 to 8 PM. Dr. Holliday has over 40 years experience in the addictions field and has been Medical Director of a methadone treatment program for over 30 years. He is internationally recognized and acclaimed for his success in treating patients who are suffering from heroin and other opiate addictions and certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Holliday plans to do the following: 1. Inform the public about the benefits of all Medication Assisted Therapies for those addicted to Opioids; and, 2. Inform them that Holliday Health Care will submit an application to the Department of Mental Health and Addictions to open another facility in Porter County to provide methadone treatment services. Dr. Holliday will also discuss a planned Addictions Research, Education and Medicine Campus. Dr. Holliday’s team is currently evaluating a number of sites to locate the projected future growth of this Research Site.

* Carmen Arlt is Director of NAMA's Indiana Chapter The MAG and Co-Regional Director for the Central States.

3rd International Memorial Day for Deceased Drug Users Friday the 21st of July (BrugerForeningen, Denmark)

2006-07-22T16:47:00.000-04:00

Copenhagen, Denmark

22nd July 2006

Report

3rd International Memorial Day for Deceased Drug Users

Friday the 21st of July

Despite an extreme heat wave, an industrial holiday and the start of the weekend, approximately 120 participants gathered at 7 PM to listen to five relatively short, very varied but all very passionate speeches.

120 participants gathered for the Third International

Memorial Day for Deceased Drug Users.

Two poets read from some of their own highly emotionally charged poems and we witnessed the premiere of a song, composed for the occasion and performed by BF's resident singer songwriter; the song, "274 deaths" or "They'll never return" whose refrain, roughly translated as "And we just miss them so" was so warmly received that the audience demanded a repeat performance at the end of the evening program - all together the whole ceremony lasted for 55 minutes.

They'll never return, And we just miss them so.

During a minute of silence, one could literally hear a pin drop, another musical interlude was provided by the audience's loud, heartfelt rendition of the traditional Danish freedom fighters' song "Never walk in fear".

252 pairs of men's and women's shoes remind all that each

represents a real human being who died, mostly alone.

In the two days prior to the event BF activists succeeded in gathering 252 pairs of men's and women's shoes, dramatically lined up on the sunburned city garden lawn, to remind all present that 252 is not only a statistic, but that each represents a real human being who died, mostly alone. Every year we lose far too many relatively young friends to what are, for the most part, preventable, overdoses.

A remembrance wreath was placed next to the engraved memorial:
"Here we commemorate deceased drug users".

A large coloured mixed flower wreath with a wide orange silk ribbon marked with BrugerForeningen and LFHN (the parent's organisation in BF) - and several fresh flower bunches placed right next to the granite engraved memorial text: "Here we commemorate deceased drug users" was flanked by two flaming torches.

BF's speaker's rostrum - a glass container topped with a

wooden table - containing bloody syringes and needles,

empty methadone bottles and a mixture of colourful

sandbox toys- was a constant reminder of the reality.

BF's usual speaker's rostrum - a 1.3 metre high glass quadrant container topped with a round wooden table - containing 2.500 bloody syringes and needles, several empty methadone bottles and a mixture of colourful sandbox toys- was a constant reminder of the reality that the hard pressed citizens in the local district right next to the open drug scene, face daily in their own yards and other surroundings. The rostrum is an illuminating tool as we use it every time we have a chance in the ongoing debate about user rooms.

This year BF bought a little 50 cc 220 Volts 650 watt generator. Last year it annoyed us greatly that we were delayed and that eventually we had to move the rostrum out of focus, just because our 50 metres of electrical cable, fell just 1½ meter too short, to reach the friendly home on the second floor where we succeeded in borrowing the needed 220 volt electricity, needed to drive our microphones, the amplifier, loudspeakers and video gear. Now we can place the speakers stand exactly where it needs to be, and we don't need to beg anyone to lend us electricity, which really can be a hassle here in the middle of the summer holiday and a Friday evening when only very few people are home.

Since its planting back at IDUD in 2003 with assistance from user activists from 16 different nations, The Paradise Apple tree had been stripped of its beautiful flowers by vandals. So now it does not really look much like a real tree anymore. Therefore, we have decided to replace it with a red Beechwood tree, which, as well as being beautiful is a Fast Grower. Gardeners have advised us to wait until later in the autumn, a better season to plant trees. We now expect to do it on or around BF's 13th Anniversary on 3rd of November.

When this incident started and the cops came running

I thought that they were annoyed because we were

using our electrical amplifier.

While our resident singer was on the finale of the second rendition of his song, the Police drove by in a large van and abruptly stopped on the street beside the park, four large cops ran up and forced their way up to the front line, where they approached an apparently drunk guy who was drowsing next to the flowers. They swiftly grabbed him and dragged him back to the van - where they body searched him. It was later discovered that they had an alarm from a citizen who had, sometime earlier, seen him handling a pistol around the corner from the memorial ceremony in the Central Station. The allegation was true, the guy really was carrying a toy plastic pistol- so he was quickly arrested and driven away. When this incident started and the cops came running I thought that they were annoyed because we were using our electrical amplifier to boost the sound of the acoustic guitar. As such, I grabbed the written meeting permit issued by the local Police station, so I was ready to explain that what we were doing was legal, but I didn't manage to approach them before they went off with the guy. Incidentally while they were finishing searching the guy and beginning to drive off with the guy and the toy pistol, we had reached the point of the program, where we had to sing the freedom song "Never walk in fear". I couldn't resist commenting on the peculiarity of the whole funny and strange coincidence.

In a Reuter's article published in several of Friday's newspapers, complaining that the Police are not yet able to provide us with a realistic figure for overdose deaths in 2005. In this 'information age' it shouldn't be necessary to wait more than 8 months before we can get a realistic figure of the current situation. Actually it should be possible to follow the overdoses month by month, so we could act on the situation especially if it worsens. In "older days" just back in the mid-1990s we got the statistics from the previous year from the Police in late February or certainly by March. But that was also while we still had politicians, who cared and were interested in whether the numbers went up or down. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case anymore, and we must realize that - as long as no politicians really care to ask about the overdose statistics, we won't get the figures any earlier. Therefore, I promised that I will make it my business, and I'll work hard to make the politicians change their priorities so that this issue returns to the discussion table. Hopefully that will also mean that we know the 2006 figure when we meet at next year's Memorial Day.

As we left to go home - it was a day that we will all remember.

Joergen Kjaer - president

Clinic Doctor Guilty of Forgery (Portland Press Herald, July 21, 2006)

2006-07-22T00:20:00.002-04:00

Clinic Doctor Guilty of Forgery
By GREGORY D. KESICH
Portland Press Herald, Friday, July 21, 2006

A federal jury on Thursday convicted addiction treatment specialist Dr. Mark Shinderman of forging prescriptions for patients at a Westbrook methadone clinic.

Shinderman, a well-known Illinois psychiatrist who is considered an expert in addiction medicine, faces prison time and fines for his convictions on 58 of the 68 charges against him.

He was found guilty in U.S. District Court of writing another doctor's name and federal registration number on 25 prescriptions for controlled substances. The prescriptions were written during 2001 and 2002, when Shinderman was seeing patients at CAP Quality Care, the for-profit methadone clinic owned by his wife, Noa.

Shinderman also was convicted of 24 counts of aiding and abetting the acquisition of controlled substances by deception, and two counts of falsifying records kept by a pharmacy. The jury split on 15 counts of making false statements on medical records, convicting him of seven and finding him not guilty on the rest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark said the convictions showed the jury rejected the defense claim that Shinderman committed only minor offenses while providing legitimate medical services to his patients and causing no harm to them.

"The harm is to the system of regulation," Clark said. "Every step in the closed system of distribution requires a Drug Enforcement Administration number, and the people expect accountability."

Clark said the verdict upheld the principle that Shinderman's disregard for the law is serious.

"The people of Maine expect their doctors to follow the rules," he said.

Although it was not part of the charges against him, Shinderman's 30-year history as a provider of methadone to treat people addicted to opiates such as heroin was a recurrent theme among the witnesses in the trial.

Shinderman owns and operates two methadone clinics in Chicago, Ill. But he testified that since coming to Maine in 2001, he had been the subject of a "witch hunt" by federal authorities, who denied him a DEA registration number to write prescriptions here.

Shinderman was supported by many who treat drug addicts in the state. They said his clinic offered the best treatment, in part because Shinderman, who is a psychiatrist, offered free services that included prescribing anti-anxiety and other medications to help patients deal with their addictions.

Supporters rejected the government's claim that Shinderman wrote the prescriptions to attract patients, saying the drug-addiction epidemic meant Shinderman had more patients than he could handle.

Michael Cunniff, one of Shinderman's lawyers, said that controversy over methadone treatment - giving an opioid addict daily doses of another addictive drug to prevent cravings and withdrawal symptoms - was the backdrop of the prosecution against his client.

"It was evident throughout the trial that methadone was an issue," Cunniff said. "We made every effort to keep it out."

Shinderman, 64, a tall and dignified-looking man with a neatly trimmed gray beard, bowed his head in the courtroom as the clerk read the jury's verdict shortly before 6 p.m. after nearly 13 hours of deliberation.

As soon as the jury left the courtroom, he comforted his wife and about 30 friends and family members before walking outside. He is on bail while awaiting sentencing, which could be in about three months. He faces up to five years in prison on each of the most serious charges and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

"I'm clearly disappointed about the verdict, but I'm happy I had my day in court," he said to reporters. "I just want to say thank you."

The government contended that Shinderman wrote prescriptions for controlled substances that included benzodiazepine drugs, which are known as "benzos" and are popular with some methadone patients because they enhance the euphoric effect of the drug.

Shinderman was also known for his published opinion that for years, doctors had under-prescribed methadone to some patients, causing them to relapse into using street drugs.

Although the normal therapeutic dose of methadone is 80 to 100 milligrams a day and never exceeds 150 milligrams at the only other Greater Portland clinic, according to trial testimony, some CAP patients received much more.

Sharon Pratt, who came to the clinic when it opened after becoming addicted to pain medication she received during cancer treatment, ended up receiving 1,050 milligrams a day. She said Shinderman also prescribed other medications for her.

As a result of her high dose, she said she fell asleep while driving her car and then had a heart attack she attributes to the methadone. She filed a complaint with the state medical licensing board and has a pending civil case against Shinderman.

Pratt testified against Shinderman at his criminal trial and waited at the court all day Thursday for the verdict.

She said patients at CAP liked to see Shinderman because he would write prescriptions without arguing.

"This sounds weird, but I think he did it because he wanted to be popular," Pratt said. "I think he liked the attention he got, with everybody thinking he was awesome."

She said she was grateful for the verdict "on behalf of everyone who was victimized by this man."

Shinderman's methadone practice will be the focus of a pending civil case against CAP by the U.S. government. It is expected to go to trial early next year.

Staff Writer Gregory D. Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336 or at: gkesich@pressherald.com

No Verdict in Doctor's Fraud Trial (Portland Press Herald, July 20, 2006)

2006-07-22T00:19:00.001-04:00

No Verdict in Doctor's Fraud Trial
Portland Press Herald, Thursday, July 20, 2006
By GREGORY D. KESICH

Marc Shinderman admits he signed another doctor's name.

A federal jury deliberated for nearly four hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the case of an addiction treatment specialist charged with prescription fraud.

Dr. Marc Shinderman, 64, is charged with using another doctor's name and federal registration number to write prescriptions for controlled drugs used by patients of his Westbrook methadone clinic during 2001 and 2002. His trial in U.S. Distinct Court in Portland ended Wednesday morning as lawyers for both sides made closing arguments in the case, the result of a five-year federal investigation.

Whether he is convicted may have less to do with what Shinderman did than why he did it, lawyers said.

In two days of testimony, Shinderman admitted that he signed the name and wrote the Drug Enforcement Administration number of Dr. Steven Keefe on prescription sheets, ordering anti-anxiety and other medications for patients of CAP Quality Care Inc., the for-profit methadone clinic owned by Shinderman's wife.

Prosecutors charge that Shinderman, a psychiatrist from Illinois, was able to lure patients to his clinic by prescribing drugs that would enhance the euphoric effect of the methadone they were receiving.

But Shinderman, who had the authority to write prescriptions in Illinois but not in Maine, claimed that he mistakenly thought he could use the prescription-writing authority of a colleague who saw the same patients. His lawyer said his actions were mistakes, not crimes.

The stakes for Shinderman are high. The government charged him with 67 separate crimes for forging prescriptions, aiding someone filling illegal prescriptions and falsifying medical records. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on each of the most serious counts and fines of up to $250,000.

The clinic is the defendant in a civil suit filed by the government, which is expected to go to trial next year.

The criminal trial began July 11 and featured testimony by current and former patients and staff of CAP Quality Care, as well as state and federal regulators. Shinderman took the witness stand for two days and freely admitted to doing everything the government alleged. Shinderman said he was more concerned with treating patients than making money.

On Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark, who prosecuted the case, told the jury that the issue was simple: Shinderman intentionally wrote prescriptions in Maine even though he knew he was not authorized to do so.

Clark compared a doctor's DEA number to a driver's license and asked jurors to use their common sense.

"If you need a license, you get it," Clark said. "And if you don't have one and get caught, you don't say, 'My Mom has a licence and she let me use it,' or . . . 'I'm an excellent driver and I don't need a license.' "

For more than an hour Wednesday, Clark methodically showed the jury 26 prescription slips that were filled out by Shinderman using Keefe's name and number. Clark showed how 16 of the slips were connected by investigators to medical records kept at CAP in which Shinderman saw a patient and signed Keefe's name or initials. Clark said Shinderman was falsifying records to cover up what he knew was an illegal prescription writing practice.

"If he had written accurate records, the regulators would have seen what he was doing and would have stopped it." Clark said.

Shinderman's lawyer, Thimi Mina, told the jury that his client should not be convicted of a crime for making a mistake.

Shinderman believed that he could legally write prescriptions, and even if he was wrong, he was not doing anything but treating his patients' legitimate medical needs, Mina said.

"No criminal intent, no crime," Mina repeatedly told the jury.

Mina said Shinderman was not prosecuted for violating the law regarding prescription writing, but for his controversial views on methadone treatment for addicts.

"This case is all about methadone," Mina said. "If Dr. Shinderman were a pediatrician I submit we never would have been here."

In the first year of CAP's operation, greater Portland saw a rapid increase in the number of overdose deaths involving methadone. Shinderman came under special scrutiny because he published his opinion that some patients require much higher doses of methadone than normally prescribed at clinics. While the usual therapeutic dose of methadone is 80 to 100 milligrams a day, Shinderman had at least one CAP patient on 1,000 milligrams.

But Mina said Shinderman is committed to treating patients.

"The government has attacked a man who had devoted his life to treating people that that the rest of us step over," Mina said. "What the government asks for in this instance is not justice."

The closing arguments began at 10 a.m. before a packed courtroom, including friends and supporters of Shinderman, including state Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, and Gardiner Mayor and state Senate candidate Brian Rines. Other benches were filled with state and federal prosecutors and police officers curious about the outcome of the case.

Jurors are scheduled to return to the courthouse at 8 a.m. today to resume deliberations.

Staff Writer Gregory D. Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336 or at: gkesich@pressherald.com

Staff photo by John Ewing

Methadone Clinic's Medical Director Goes On Trial (AP, July 12, 2006)

2006-07-12T18:06:00.001-04:00

Methadone Clinic's Medical Director Goes On Trial
Maine Today
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
From the AP WIRE

PORTLAND, Maine — A drug-treatment doctor is on trial in federal court for allegedly handing out illegal prescriptions to patients at his wife�s methadone clinic in Westbrook.

Dr. Marc Shinderman faces charges of falsifying records and ignoring regulations designed to prevent diversion of methadone.

Shinderman, an outspoken advocate for the use of methadone to treat addictions, has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Shinderman has operated methadone clinics in Maine and Illinois for more than 30 years and is well-known among those who treat addictions. His CAP Quality Care, a for-profit methadone clinic in Westbrook, was raided two years ago.

Shinderman's jury trial before U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby was in its second day Wednesday.

Methadone Doctorl Facing Prescription-Forgery Trial (Portland Press Herald, July 11, 2006)

2006-07-12T18:01:00.001-04:00

Methadone Doctorl Facing Prescription-Forgery Trial
Portland Press Herald
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
By GREGORY D. KESICH

Four years after a series of overdose deaths drew attention to his Westbrook methadone clinic, Dr. Marc Shinderman will go on trial today in U.S. District Court in Portland.

The nationally known and controversial addiction-treatment specialist is not charged with causing those deaths. Instead, prosecutors say information collected in a 2003 raid of CAP Quality Care offices by armed federal agents created the basis for charges that Shinderman forged prescription slips and made false statements to the government.

If convicted, Shinderman faces up to five years in prison for each of the 16 allegations that he created false medical records, and four years in prison for each of the 52 counts of violating federal regulations on controlled medications. He also would face a $250,000 fine on each count. The business, which is owned by his wife, is the defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by the government.

The trial will also revive the debate about the public risks and benefits of methadone maintenance treatment for opiate addicts, and will bring unwelcome attention to 1,500 licensed clinics that treat 240,000 patients each day, said Dr. Marc Parrino, president of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependency in New York City.

"It's still strange for some people to embrace the idea that you would use a medication that is itself dependence-producing to treat dependency," Parrino said. "There is a stigma surrounding the whole community, and any news that involves methadone will not be a favorable event."

The trial is expected to begin with opening statements at 8:30 a.m. Testimony in the complex case is expected to last for nine days. The government plans to call as many as 50 witnesses, including patients and former employees of the five-year-old methadone clinic.

According to court documents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark will present evidence that Shinderman wrote 15 to 20 prescriptions a week using another doctor's DEA number, and forged the doctor's name and initials on forms.

Shinderman, a psychiatrist with a valid medical license in Illinois, was denied a DEA permit to write prescriptions for controlled substances in Maine because he had only a temporary license to practice here.

In his pleadings, Shinderman's attorneys say he did nothing wrong. While acknowledging the use of Dr. Steven Keefe's drug-prescribing authority, they say Shinderman was engaged in legitimate medical practice with no criminal intent.

Shinderman communicated with federal regulators about his ability to write prescriptions and was "confused" about his status, in part because of instructions he was given that later turned out to be false.

"The government instigated the conduct it now characterizes as a crime and . . . (Shinderman) was completely without predisposition to commit it," wrote attorney Thimi Mina. Later, he referred to entrapment as his "central defense."

Shinderman, 63, has worked in addiction treatment for 30 years, starting methadone clinics in Illinois and Maine.

Methadone is a synthetic drug that can ease the cravings and withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to opiates such as heroin or morphine. Taken in the right dosage, it allows patients to function normally, despite their addiction.

CAP Quality Care opened in October 2001. The following year there were 28 overdose deaths in Greater Portland, and law-enforcement officials questioned whether the area's two methadone clinics, CAP and Discovery House, could have been responsible.

CAP came under special scrutiny for its policies that permitted patients to take home doses for several days, and for Shinderman's published opinion that most clinics' doses were too small to cure an opiate craving and prevent an addict from supplementing his habit.

A state study later found that about half the deaths were related to clinic methadone, and involved clients from both CAP and Discovery House. The rest involved abuses of prescription medication. The clinics tightened their take-home policies in response.

Shinderman remains controversial in the methadone community for his higher-dose recommendations. Parrino said Shinderman's reputation is good, however.

"He's seen as a person who cares about his patients," Parrino said.

On Sept. 9, 2003, agents from the DEA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services executed a search warrant at
CAP Quality Care offices, seizing records and copying computer files. Last August, a federal grand jury returned the indictment against Shinderman, charging him with falsifying prescription records.

In his brief, Clark said the government would have to rely on hostile witnesses, including Keefe, who still works for CAP.

"Some witnesses may not only be reluctant to testify, they may also be reluctant to tell the truth unless continually prodded with multiple questions," Clark said.

He asked U.S. District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby for latitude to question some of the government's own witnesses more aggressively than usual.

Staff Writer Gregory D. Kesich can be contacted at 791-6336 or at:

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

Curwensville DH Closing

2006-06-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

Announcement

June 26, 2006

Program Closing Curwensville Pennsylvania

The Discovery House Program at Curwensville is closing at the end of the month of June.

Evidentally it is near an historical path and such a facility can not be located near it. A great decision for a great democracy.

The courts may allow the program more time to move but we all know how difficult it is to find a site for a program. This is the only program in the area.

Overdose Deaths In Michigan - Summary of Articles

2006-06-09T17:31:00.001-04:00

Overdose Deaths In Michigan - Summary of Articles

Summary

Another drug overdose with fentanyl suspected
Detroit News, May 30, 2006

A new death takes toll to 48 in Wayne Co. Residents warned of lethal drug mix.
FREE PRESS, May 30, 2006

Drug mix cited in six more deaths. Medical examiner says fentanyl cocktail suspected; Wayne toll hits 47 since May 18.
Detroit News, May 29, 2006

Wayne County. More deaths bring county tally to 47.
FREE PRESS, May 29, 2006

Lethal heroin makes rounds. Task force chief says many overdose with Fentanyl-laced drug.
Chicago Tribune, May 29, 2006

Heroin Mix Likely Kills 3 More in Mich.
The Associated Press, May 28, 2006

Drug mix suspected in deaths. 3 more are reported in Wayne County.
Free Press, May 28, 2006

8 more overdose in 2 days
FREE PRESS, May 27, 2006

Death from possible overdose may be linked to fentanyl
The Oakland Press, May 27, 2006

Genesee County struck by heroin deaths. More than a dozen deaths are being blamed on a deadly drug combination.
GENESEE COUNTY WJRT, May 27, 2006

Overdose deaths blamed on painkiller
Washington Times, May. 27, 2006

Lethal drug combo has users uneasy. Heroin-fentanyl mix not new to Flint area.
THE FLINT JOURNAL, Saturday, May 27, 2006

Lethal drug mix claims more victims
FREE PRESS, May 26, 2006

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another drug overdose with fentanyl suspected
Lisa Martino
The Detroit News
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

DETROIT -- Wayne County health officials Monday reported another suspected drug overdose that they believe is related to a mixture of narcotics and the powerful prescription painkiller fentanyl.

Since May 18, at least 48 people have died in the county from overdoses that health officials believe are caused by a mixture of cocaine or heroin and fentanyl, said Teresa Blossom, a spokeswoman for the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency.

The exact cause of those people's deaths will not be confirmed until toxicology tests are completed, Blossom said. In the meantime, she said area health agencies have increased substance abuse prevention services and passed out 15,000 fliers detailing the dangers of fentanyl.

"Our outreach continues," she said. "(It has) been very, very strong."

Test results to determine if the drug was present at the time of death could take two to four weeks.

In Wayne County there have been 130 confirmed overdose cases in which fentanyl was mixed with either heroin or cocaine from January 2005 to April. On May 19, a dozen deaths suspected to have a fentanyl link occurred in 24 hours.

Fentanyl is more than 50 times stronger than morphine and is commonly given to cancer patients.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060530/LIFESTYLE03/605300390/1040

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A new death takes toll to 48 in Wayne Co. Residents warned of lethal drug mix.
BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS
May 30, 2006

Another person died from a probable drug overdose, Wayne County health officials reported Monday, bringing the toll to 48 people who have died since May 19.

Even though the number was dropping from the multiple deaths per day, health officials aren't ready to say the deadly overdose spurt is tapering off.

Toxicology results won't be available for several weeks, but health officials say they believe the deaths have been caused by a dangerous combination of heroin or cocaine and the painkiller fentanyl.

"The numbers have always fluctuated," said Teresa Blossom, Wayne County spokeswoman. "Some days, we've had three or four deaths, on others we've had one."

The latest surge in deaths first came to the public's attention when Wayne County issued a warning on May 19 because 12 people had died over a 24-hour span.

Since then, the county has distributed at least 20,000 flyers, warning people of the dangers of the illegal street drug and urging drug addicts to get treatment rather than risk using the substance.

"We want to continue to urge the public to be mindful that the deadly street drugs have increased," Blossom said Monday. "We hope that anyone can avoid engaging in the activity and for those who have addiction, we hope they can seek treatment."

From September through April, more than 100 drug overdose deaths were recorded in metro Detroit and most of those are believed to have been caused by the heroin/fentanyl mixture.

Neither Oakland nor Macomb counties reported any drug overdose deaths over the holiday weekend.

Contact KATHLEEN GRAY at 313-223-4407 or gray@freepress

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060530/NEWS06/605300322

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug mix cited in six more deaths. Medical examiner says fentanyl cocktail suspected; Wayne toll hits 47 since May 18.
Chrystal Johnson
The Detroit News
Monday, May 29, 2006

Six more deaths believed to be linked to a cocktail of street drugs and the prescription painkiller fentanyl were reported in Metro Detroit over the weekend, bringing the total of suspected deaths in the county to 47 since May 18.

Three deaths were reported by the Wayne County Medical Examiner's office on Saturday and three more on Sunday.

"At this point, we can say they probably are drug-related deaths," Cheryl Loewe, assistant chief medical examiner, said Sunday.

Loewe said the exact cause of death could not be confirmed until toxicology tests are performed. That can take two to four weeks.

Drug dealers mix heroin and cocaine with fentanyl to increase the kick.

"I would like to emphasize that fentanyl has been detected in cocaine. We found almost the same amount in cocaine as we did in heroin," Loewe said. Wayne County issued a warning May 19 about the spate of overdoses, after a dozen died in a 24-hour period.

County Executive Robert Ficano said officials have passed out more than 15,000 warning fliers. Counselors worked the crowds at Movement 06: Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, spreading word of the dangerous drug interaction.

"Hopefully, we are reaching out with bulletins, hot lines and general media," Loewe said.

From January 2005 to April, there were 130 confirmed overdose cases in which fentanyl was mixed with heroin or cocaine in Wayne County.

The large number of cases in a short period of time prompted the county to issue a public warning and for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week to send investigators to Michigan.

Scores of deaths recently across the East Coast and Midwest have been blamed on the combination. In Chicago, officials said 50 deaths have been linked to the combination.

Fentanyl is given to cancer patients and others whose pain is too great for morphine to dull. The drug is more than 50 times as strong as morphine and can cause users to stop breathing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. You can reach Chrystal Johnson at (313) 222-2300 or cijohnson@detnews.com.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605290330

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wayne County. More deaths bring county tally to 47.
BY AMBER HUNT
FREE PRESS
May 29, 2006

Three more people have died of suspected drug overdoses, Wayne County officials reported Sunday, bringing the overdose death tally in the county to 47 in less than two weeks.

The latest deaths occurred Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Teresa Blossom, a county spokeswoman, said Sunday that officials won't know for certain whether they were caused by a mix of heroin or cocaine and the painkiller fentanyl until toxicology reports are completed. That process could take several weeks.

Fentanyl is typically prescribed for terminally ill patients with chronic pain.

Investigators say some drug users know fentanyl is mixed with heroin or cocaine and purchase the mix for a stronger high, while other buyers don't know they're getting the fentanyl mixture.

Wayne County officials have reported an average of more than four deaths a day from apparent overdoses since May 17. Last year, there were 1.25 per day, for a total of 457.

On May 18, after 12 people died in a 24-hour period, county health officials first alerted the public to the fentanyl concoction.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said Saturday that a federal investigation points to Chicago or the East Coast as the source of the drugs.

The county has passed out more than 15,000 flyers warning about the lethal mixture, hoping to curb sales.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0605290096may29,1,7672380.story?coll=chi-newslocalssouthwest-hed

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethal heroin makes rounds. Task force chief says many overdose with Fentanyl-laced drug.
David Heinzmann
Chicago Tribune
May 29, 2006

Heroin laced with the prescription painkiller Fentanyl has killed more than 40 people in the Chicago area in the last year, the head of a drug trafficking task force told Congress.

Tom Donahue, executive director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, or HIDTA, program here told lawmakers that Fentanyl is a growing concern as "the drug problem in the Chicago area has dramatically increased over the past year."

Donahue was in Washington to brief a House subcommittee on budget problems facing drug investigators in Chicago.

The number of people treated for heroin problems in Cook County increased 54 percent in 2005 from the year before, Donahue said last week in his remarks to the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.

As more people are using heroin, more heroin appears to be laced with Fentanyl, he said.

"The use of this drug has left unsuspecting heroin abusers the victims of overdose and death," Donahue told the subcommittee.

Fentanyl has hit several big cities hard in recent months. Detroit, where officials say more than 200 people have died from overdoses, appears to have the worst problem.

The figures Donahue quoted to Congress about Chicago are accurate and reflect that the use of "heroin, cocaine and marijuana are all increasing substantially," said Tom Green, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services.

The surge in dangerous drugs comes as the federal government is considering curtailing the HIDTA task force with proposed budget cuts and a possible move under the control of the Justice Department after years of relative independence as a program overseen by the executive branch.

Donahue was asking lawmakers to protect HIDTA, which Chicago police have credited with helping reduce violence during the last three years.

"Any change in [HIDTA's] current structure or funding could result in a set back in the progress we have made in successful violence reduction strategies," Chicago police Supt. Philip Cline said.

The task force brings together federal and local drug investigators to trade intelligence and run investigations on drug trafficking throughout the Chicago region.

Donahue, a longtime Chicago narcotics investigator who later became a Cook County prosecutor, said Fentanyl is a front-burner issue for the task force.

"It's a big deal," Donahue said Friday. Investigators believe most of the Fentanyl in Chicago is coming from illicit labs making it in Mexico. One reason the drug may be emerging here now, he said, is that Mexican drug cartels are trying to squeeze their Colombian rivals out of the heroin market.

"It's a way for the Mexican cartels to bypass the Colombian cartels," he said. The drug "can be produced fairly easily."

But because Fentanyl is so much more potent than heroin, it can be deadly when not blended properly. Many users have died, he said, because dealers "haven't figured out the mix yet ... But once it's mixed, heroin users prefer it."

David Heinzmann
dheinzmann@tribune.com

http://www.wlns.com/global/story.asp?s=4960770&ClientType=Printable

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heroin Mix Likely Kills 3 More in Mich.
The Associated Press
May 28, 2006

DETROIT -- Three more people in Wayne County have died from what authorities suspect is a combination of heroin or cocaine and fentanyl, a prescription painkiller.

The deaths, which occurred Friday night or Saturday morning, bring the county's total of overdose deaths believed to have been caused by the mixture to 44 since May 18.

Michele Reid, medical director of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency and chairwoman of the newly created Wayne County fentanyl work group, is seen at her Detroit office Thursday, May 25, 2006. A deadly mixture of heroin and a powerful painkiller is circulating, killing unsuspecting users who believe they are taking pure heroin. In the Detroit area, the apparent hub of the problem, organizations like Reid's are scrambling to get the word out to users. (AP Photo/Gary Malerba) (Gary Malerba - AP)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/28/AR2006052800279.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug mix suspected in deaths. 3 more are reported in Wayne County.
Free Press
May 28, 2006

Wayne County reported three deaths Saturday that likely were drug-related, bringing the overdose death total in the county to 44 in the last 10 days.

The deaths, which occurred Friday night or Saturday morning, are believed to be caused by a deadly mix of heroin or cocaine, and the powerful painkiller fentanyl.

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said a federal investigation seems to put the source of the drugs at either Chicago or the East Coast. He said the county has passed out more than 15,000 warning flyers.

"It's sad," Ficano said Saturday. "Any family member that's had someone that's had a substance abuse problem realizes how tragic it is and how frustrating and difficult it is."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 more overdose in 2 days
BY KIM NORRIS AND MARISOL BELLO
FREE PRESS
May 27, 2006

With eight more deaths reported Thursday and Friday, metro Detroit continued to see an unprecedented increase in overdoses believed to be related to a powerful painkiller mixed with street drugs.

The new reports Friday from the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office brought to 41 the number of overdoses in the county in nine days.

While it could be weeks before toxicology results definitively determine whether the painkiller fentanyl is the cause of the deaths, the sheer number of overdoses has medical officials worried that the drug is being mixed with heroin and cocaine with deadly results.

Fentanyl is used to treat chronic pain, particularly in cancer patients, and is 80 times more powerful than morphine.
As drug counselors hit the streets to inform people about the dangers, former drug users said Friday it's nearly impossible to get addicts to notice the risks -- if they come with the chance for a greater high.

"People are steady dropping out there and there's no doubt in my mind, I would have been just like that," said Joyce Jones, who has been in recovery for less than two months after being a heroin addict for 20 years.

If she weren't in treatment, Jones said, she'd be running straight for the fentanyl-laced concoctions being marketed on the street as "drop dead" and "suicide packets."

"It's our thinking. It's the addict's mind. It's so messed up, even if I was seeing a flyer say it would kill me," said Jones, 46. "They could have been putting rat poison in it and it would not matter. I would have snorted it," she said.

Investigators and public health officials are trying to determine why the sharp increase in deaths is occurring in metro Detroit. Carolyn Gibson, spokeswoman for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's Detroit field office, reiterated Friday that DEA investigators are pursuing solid leads and hope to announce some developments within the next two weeks.

While fentanyl has cropped up with deadly results in other cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and Camden, N.J., officials say no metropolitan area has seen such a sudden increase in the number of deaths believed related to the drug as Detroit has.

Since April 2005 there have been 42 fentanyl-related fatal overdoses in Cook County, which includes Chicago. In the Philadelphia area, authorities said at least nine heroin users had died in the last month.

Metro Detroit has had more than 100 people die in drug overdoses since September, with fentanyl suspected in most of those cases.

Contact KIM NORRIS at 248-351-5186 or norris@freepress.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death from possible overdose may be linked to fentanyl
The Oakland Press
May 27, 2006

Whether a powerful cocktail of heroin and painkillers is responsible for the death of a 17-year-old Bloomfi eld Hills girl is unknown, but officials say it could be involved in a number of recent drug deaths in Michigan.

Lauren Christine Jolly, a junior at Birmingham Groves High School, was found by a passerby slumped over the wheel of her car on Eight Mile Road near Riopelle in Detroit early Thursday morning. While toxicology reports are pending and could take several weeks, police in Detroit suspect Lauren, who lived in Bloomfield Hills, died of a drug overdose.
Lauren's parents could not be reached for comment.

According to Lauren's obituary on the A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Home Web site, the teenager was creative, imaginative and fun to be around. Her close friend Betsy Van Loo, 16, said Lauren was always telling jokes and laughing.

"She was a really good person," said Betsy, a junior at Groves. "I don't really want to talk about her too much. I knew her really, really well and this is hard."

Lauren is survived by her parents, Wayne and Beth Jolly; brother Brian; grandparents James and Sally Jolly and Christine (the late Gerald) Hatcher and several aunts, uncles and cousins. A memorial Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Regis Church, 3695 Lincoln in Bloomfi eld Hills. Visitation will be at 10 a.m.

Marcia Wilkinson, spokeswoman for Birmingham Public Schools, said Lauren's parents shared with the school community their desire to educate students about their daughter's death. There have been assemblies with ninth-, 10th- and 11th-grade students - seniors are not in school this week - about what happened to Lauren.

"We reassured the students that there is support out there," Wilkinson said. "We want to encourage them to be safe about the dangerous things going on. We also want to get the message out that students should talk to someone if there are issues or if they have a friend with issues. We'd like to prevent something like this from happening again."

A deadly mixture

Lauren's parents reportedly told school officials she died of a drug overdose.

What drugs she might have used remain a mystery, but some in the community have wondered whether the teenager was using heroin spiked with fentanyl, a narcotic painkiller commonly used to ease the pain of cancer patients. In recent weeks, Wayne County has had an increase in drugrelated deaths possibly involving fentanyl, said Vanessa Denha-Garmo, spokeswoman for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano.

"Starting last Thursday we noticed the spike," she said. "Exactly why that is, we still don't know. That's what police are investigating."

According to Joyce Brown-Williams, public information manager for the Wayne County Health Department, there have been 106 deaths linked to fentanyl between September 2005 and March 2006. In the last week, there have been more than 20 such deaths.

Deaths in several cities

Deaths linked to fentanyl also have been reported in several other cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said that in the past year, there have been nine deaths linked to fentanyl in the county.

"This is not confi ned to Wayne County," said Bouchard. "It's a very new trend and we're working aggressively to stop it. People need to be aware of the ramifications of this drug."

Officials in Wayne County say they are working to get the word out about the drug, including sending out thousands of fliers to reach users this weekend.

"This is a serious public health issue," said Brown-Williams. "We're doing everything we can to warn the public of the danger."

According to Janet Hoffman, a drug information pharmacist with William Beaumont Hospital, fentanyl is a very potent drug - especially when mixed with other drugs like heroin or cocaine. She said that, used properly, the drug is very effective in controlling chronic pain. But if used in higher doses or illegally, it can cause a person to stop breathing or to have an irregular heartbeat and could be fatal.

"It's much more potent even than morphine," she said. "We use it all the time as a prescription medicine and it works very well if used properly. But it can have very serious side effects."

'A very potent drug'

Hoffman said that, in recent years, fentanyl has become popular as an additive to heroin or cocaine, likely because it can cause a euphoric high. The drug has been around since the 1950s and Hoffman said there's evidence it was illegally mixed with heroin and cocaine for street use as early as the 1970s.

"It's a very potent drug," she said. "And mixing it with another drug would increase the euphoric feeling."

Experts say Wayne County has the highest nationwide death rate because of the mixture of fentanyl and heroin.
Bouchard said people continually experiment to get new and different highs and fentanyl represents a new - and dangerous - trend. Most fentanyl is stolen or obtained through illegal prescriptions, he said.

Most of the heroin seized in Oakland County recently has been laced with fentanyl, he noted.

Heroin usage still rare

Lisa Machesky, executive director of the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition, said that while Lauren's death has stunned the community, heroin usage among teenagers remains rare. In a survey of high school students in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Township area in February 2005, Machesky said 3 percent admitted to trying heroin. She said 20 percent of students admitted it would be pretty easy to obtain heroin.

"This is such a tragedy," she said. "She was so young. We will continue to try and educate students and parents because that's the only way to stop this."

In Wayne County, Medical Examiner Carl J. Schmidt said he began noticing a rise in fentanyl-related deaths in September, but county officials did not begin treating fentanyl as a crisis until last week, when the number of overdoses began to soar.

"Sometimes divining what the role of fentanyl is in an individual's death is more an art than a science," Schmidt said, noting drug users often have multiple substances in their blood.

Before the recent surge, Wayne County had 20 to 30 fentanyl deaths a year, Schmidt said. Those cases tended to be severely ill people with legitimate prescriptions for fentanyl patches who committed suicide by putting on many patches at once or the occasional person who had stolen the drug, he said.

Point of origin

Detroit police spokesman James Tate said the department is following up on several leads about where the fentanyl is originating. So far, however, there is no indication that it is being manufactured locally, he said.

Officials emphasize there is help for people who have overdosed if they get to an emergency room immediately.

"Treatment is available, and treatment works," said Michele Reid, medical director of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency and chairwoman of the newly created Wayne County fentanyl work group.
Lauren's death marks the second tragedy at Groves High School this month. On May 15, Jamarl Fordham, 16, collapsed during a pick-up basketball game with friends at the school. The exact cause of Jamarl's death is still pending the results of toxicology reports.

Jamarl, a sophomore who liked to play basketball and was a popular student, had no known health problems.
Officials say the deaths of Jamarl and Lauren are unrelated.

Click here to return to story:
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/052706/loc_2006052703.shtml

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genesee County struck by heroin deaths. More than a dozen deaths are being blamed on a deadly drug combination.
By Cathy Shafran
GENESEE COUNTY WJRT
May 27, 2006

GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) - (05/27/06)--A deadly heroin combination that has killed nearly 100 people in the Detroit area has now been confirmed to have killed more than a dozen in Genesee County as well.

While fears grow in Metro Detroit about the mounting deaths from the heroin/fentanyl combination, a medical examiner is saying it is a growing problem in the Flint area as well.

The information we're getting tonight comes from the Oakland County Medical Examiners office.

The chief forensic toxicologist in Oakland County says that he's seen drug overdose deaths with an unusual mixture of heroin and the painkiller fentanyl since September 28th of last year.

In all, he's confirmed 20 deaths from the same mixture that has caused nearly 100 deaths in Metro Detroit.

What he has found interesting is that of the 20 deaths, only three have been victims who died in Oakland County; 17 have been victims transported from Genesee County.

And there are more cases he's still investigating.

Information can not be released about the geographical location of those Genesee County deaths, and, at this point he has no way of determining whether the deadly drug supply is coming from Detroit, or perhaps another direction.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overdose deaths blamed on painkiller
Washington Times
May. 27, 2006

At least 41 people have died in Detroit in little more than a week in what appear to be drug overdoses caused by a painkiller used to cut heroin and cocaine.

Eight deaths were reported Thursday and Friday, the Detroit Free Press said.

Investigators blame the deaths on a mixture of street drugs and fentanyl, a powerful painkiller normally prescribed to cancer patients.

A number of other cities, including Chicago and Philadelphia, have had spikes in overdose deaths because of fentanyl. But the number has been far greater in Detroit, with fentanyl blamed for more than 100 deaths since September in the metropolitan area, compared to 42 in the Chicago area in more than a year.

Counselors hit the streets of Detroit Friday, trying to warn addicts to avoid fentanyl-laced drugs, which sometimes come in packets labeled "drop dead." But one former addict told the Free Press that when she was still using drugs she would not have cared if they had been cut with rat poison.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20060527-083555-7149r.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethal drug combo has users uneasy. Heroin-fentanyl mix not new to Flint area.
By Kim Crawford
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Saturday, May 27, 2006

They looked like they were dead, the second-shift officers say - two men from the Goodrich area, turned blue and barely breathing, slumped in the front seat of their car parked on a Flint side street, needles still stuck in their arms.
But then paramedics arrived and administered a medicine that counteracts the effects of opiate-type drugs. Slowly, the men stirred and regained consciousness, say the officers recounting the incident.

The outcome of that overdose situation, several weeks ago, puts those two men among the luckier Flint-area heroin addicts. While no one in law enforcement says for sure that the illegal drug those men had taken was cut with the cancer pain-fighting medicine fentanyl, the odds are in favor of that possibility, police say.

"We understand that we've had it here for some time," said Lt. Phil Smith of the Special Operations Bureau of the Flint police. "We've probably had a dozen cases of overdoses in the past several weeks.

"The heroin users around the area have been definitely concerned about it. But in terms of law enforcement, when we seize drugs and have them tested, we never hear about what those drugs are cut with."

Medical authorities says that scores of drug users in southeastern Michigan and hundreds across the country from New Jersey and Philadelphia to Ohio and Chicago have died as a result of using heroin mixed with fentanyl, a powerful prescription painkiller.

According to an Associated Press report, the alarm about the lethal mixture of opiates first was issued by officials back in April. In Detroit alone, nearly 20 people died late this week from the heroin-fentanyl combination.

Now, health officials and hospitals - as well as public health and substance abuse treatment officials - are warning heroin users of the potential danger.

As a matter of public health, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to know about the overdose cases and whether drugs seized by authorities contain fentanyl. But Flint-area law enforcement personnel say in cases against drug dealers, they almost learn what illegal drugs are mixed with, since that typically hasn't mattered previously.

These days, Smith says, he receives messages on a near-daily basis about the heroin-fentanyl mix. Since heroin comes into Flint from both the Chicago and Detroit areas, he and other officers say, it's little wonder that users in Genesee County also have suffered death and overdose because of the mix

Smith and Capt. Mike Becker of the Genesee County Sheriff's Department, a veteran paramedic, point out that fentanyl is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

Smith said heroin addicts usually use tiny plastic spoons that were given out as coffee stir-sticks, formerly available from a fast-food restaurant chain, to measure the amount of dope they put into their fix. As a result, that measure is known to heroin users as a "mac," he said.

That may help to get across just how powerful fentanyl is, when one considers that a drug mixture measured in "macs" is enough to cause the deaths of scores of users across the country. Typically, such drug mixtures contain about 10 or 15 percent heroin, Smith said.

Becker notes that law enforcement officers typically don't know or may never find out what drug an overdosed person has used when they respond to a call. But if paramedics arrive on the scene of an overdose where they have reason to believe the person has used heroin, or morphine or fentanyl, which suppress breathing, they'll administer a drug call Narcan to counteract the effects of opiates.

"We've responded to quite a few of them recently," Becker said about the county paramedics.

But police note that it's difficult, if not impossible, for police to follow up on cases where a suspect has overdosed to find out where they're drugs come from.

"In the vast majority of cases, a person administers the drugs to themselves," he said. "If they did it to themselves, who are you going to prosecute?"
***
By Kim Crawford
kcrawford@flintjournal.com o 810.766.6242

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lethal drug mix claims more victims
BY KIM NORRIS AND MARISOL BELLO
FREE PRESS
May 26, 2006

With the arrival of the long holiday weekend and the seventh annual Electronic Music festival expected to draw hundreds of thousands to downtown Detroit, law enforcement and health professionals are bracing for a possible rash of drug-overdoses resulting from heroin laced with a powerful pain medication.

Wayne County officials Friday reported five more deaths Thursday and three Friday likely related to fentanyl-laced heroin, bringing the total to 41 in nine days and cementing Detroit s position as the nation s leader in such deaths.

Drug abuse counselors and public health officials have been out in force distributing fact sheets warning drug users of the potentially lethal mixture on the streets. And they plan to be at the techno fest this weekend.

But their warnings may be falling on deaf ears. Authorities in substance abuse and users themselves report that the prospect of death is not enough to deter them.

Joyce Jones, a heroin addict for 20 years, has been in recovery for less than two months, but says she s glad she s off the junk now because would be running straight for the fentanyl-laced drugs if they promised a better high.

People are steady dropping out there and there s no doubt in my mind, I would have been just like that, said Jones, 46. It s our thinking, it s the addict s mind, it s so messed up, even if I was seeing a flyer say it would kill me. I still would have gone ahead and done it.

She said she never asked a dealer what was in the mix she scored.

They could have been putting rat poison in it and it would not matter. I would have snorted it, she said.

She said all public health officials can do to get hardcore users to consider the risks is to keep repeating it and hopefully eventually it might get through, Jones said. It might save them for one day.

This weekend s techno fest could be fertile soil for dealers peddling tainted stuff.

Dr. Michele Reid, who chairs the Detroit-Wayne County fentanyl working group and is the medical director for the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency, said hospitals report an increase in drug overdoses among young people during such events.

Fentanyl, which is used to treat chronic pain, particularly in cancer patients, is 80 times more powerful than morphine. Taken in excess or in combination with heroin or cocaine, the drug can cause respiratory failure.

Health care workers throughout the metropolitan area have been alerted to the public health threat via the Health Alert Network, which disseminates information electronically to first responders, including doctors, nurses, emergency technicians and ambulance personnel.

Dr. Tammy Lundstrom, chief quality and safety officer for the Detroit Medical Center, which operates the city s busiest emergency room at Detroit Receiving Hospital, said while everyone has been made aware of the possible increase in fentanyl-related overdose cases, treatment protocols are the same. Patients are administered reversal agents and monitored until the drug wears off. Those who exhibit breathing problems will be put on ventilators.

A spokesman for Henry Ford Health System, which operates Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, said the hospital is not increasing staff this weekend and will continue to follow standard protocols for treating drug overdoses.

A week after Wayne County officials issued an alert to the presence of a killer drug on the streets, a host of state, local and federal investigators are still searching for answers to explain the scourge that is killing Detroit-area drug users in numbers not seen in other cities that have identified fentanyl-laced drugs.

The synthetic painkiller has tainted heroin supplies in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to news reports. It also has shown up in combination with cocaine in some places.

In Chicago two weeks ago, 15 people were hospitalized after using heroin bought on the city s West Side. All of the overdoses happened within a one-mile radius, authorities said. In all, dozens of people have overdosed in Chicago this year including 10 who have died. Since April 2005 there have been 42 Fentanyl-related fatal overdoses in Chicago s Cook County.

In the Philadelphia area and nearby southern New Jersey, authorities said at least nine heroin users had died last month.

Carolyn Gibson, spokeswoman for the Detroit field office of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency said investigators still do not know why people are dying in greater numbers here than elsewhere or whether all the cities are connected by a common supply source.

She reiterated Friday that DEA investigators are pursing some solid leads and hope to announce some developments within the next two weeks.

In addition to the DEA, which first issued an alert about fentanyl-related drugs in November, local law enforcement authorities are investigating. And on Monday, two investigators from the federal Centers for Disease Control arrived in Detroit, at the request of state health officials, to look into the more than 100 suspected fentanyl-related deaths here since September. It s the first time the CDC has undertaken such an investigation.

Among the things investigators want to know:

Are the cases of fentanyl-laced drugs seen in other cities linked?

Where is the fentanyl coming from - legal sources, such as pharmacies and hospitals or clandestine labs, possibly as far away as Mexico?

What is the source of the fentanyl-laced heroin supply?

Why are more people dying in Detroit than elsewhere?

How can further deaths be prevented.

John Roach, a spokesman for the Wayne County Sheriff s Office, said as part of the investigation, the department is going through the records of the dead and interviewing their friends and family to try to find the drug houses where they bought their stash.

So far, though, he said, they ve haven t come up with anything solid.

Contact KIM NORRIS at 248-351-5186 or norris@freepress.com.

Now available: 2006 Edition of Confidentiality and Communication Book

2006-06-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

Announcement

June 6, 2006

Now available: 2006 Edition of Confidentiality and Communication Book

And LACs First-Ever Online Confidentiality Courses are now available.

Friends:

As you know, most health care providers must comply with both the federal confidentiality regulations specific to alcohol and drug programs (42 C.F.R. Part 2) and HIPAA privacy requirements. The Legal Action Center can help you and your staff make sense of these complex laws with the 2006 edition of our highly acclaimed Confidentiality and Communication: A Guide to the Federal Alcohol & Drug Confidentiality Law and HIPAA and our first-ever Online Courses.

The 2006 edition of our most popular book, Confidentiality & Communication: A Guide to the Federal Alcohol & Drug Confidentiality Law and HIPAA, explains everything you need to know about 42 C.F.R. Part 2 and HIPAA, with critical new information about recent rulings about HIPAA, updated model forms, and new sections on consent forms, use of modern technology, and many other topics.

Learn about confidentiality and get CEUs from the comfort of your homes or offices with the Legal Action Centers first-ever self-paced online training courses. The 2 hour Introduction course and 4 hour Advanced course explain what you need to know about both 42 C.F.R. Part 2 and HIPAA. They satisfy HIPAA training requirements and provide continuing education credits for users who pass the automatically-graded self-tests. You can start and stop the courses whenever you want, at your convenience.

The Legal Action Centers lawyers are the nations leading experts in confidentiality of alcohol and drug treatment and prevention records. Take advantage of that expertise and buy Confidentiality & Communication 2006 and our online courses today! Both are available at http://www.lac.org.

Buy the book online for just $89.99, $10 off the regular price, or take advantage of our bulk rates and receive even greater discounts. (You can also download and print an order form to order at regular prices.)

The Introduction to Confidentiality online course is just $40 per seat, and Advanced Confidentiality is $75. Get a 10% discount by buying 10 or more seats!

Dont delay! There are no better ways to ensure compliance with the HIPAA privacy requirements and also 42 C.F.R. Part 2 than by purchasing Confidentiality and Communication 2006 and the on line courses. We guarantee you will learn how "to comply" with both laws, and you can have a full refund if you dont agree.

Sincerely,

Paul N. Samuels
Director/President
Legal Action Center

Updated Directory of Drug, Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Available

2006-06-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

Updated Directory of Drug, Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Teddi Fine 240-276-2130

May 30, 2006
www.samhsa.gov

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) updated guide to finding local substance abuse treatment programs is now available. The guide, National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2006, provides information on thousands of alcohol and drug treatment programs located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and four U.S. territories.

The directory, a nationwide inventory of nearly 11,000 drug abuse and alcoholism treatment programs and facilities, is organized and presented in state-by-state format for quick-reference by health care providers, social workers, managed care organizations, and the general public. It lists both public and private facilities, all of which are licensed, certified, or otherwise approved by substance abuse agencies in each of the states.

The directory is designed to quickly provide the reader with key information not only about the location of specific facilities, but also about the nature of the programs and services provided, including level of care offered and areas of service specialization, such as programs for adolescents, persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders, individuals living with HIV/AIDS and pregnant women.

The 2006 directory identifies both long and short-term residential treatment facilities and facilities that provide residential beds for clients' children.

The updated directory is a paper-based complement to SAMHSA's internet-based Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator Service. The continuously-updated internet-based service provides driving directions to the nearest treatment facilities, as well as descriptions of services available, and contact information, including addresses and telephone numbers. By following simple instructions available on-line through this service, users can locate public and private substance abuse treatment facilities in any state, city or community anywhere in the nation. The direct website link is http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

To obtain a free copy of the National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2006, contact SAMHSA's Clearinghouse or call (800) 729-6686.

###

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health service delivery systems.

Buprenorphine Advocacy Newsletter

2006-05-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

Announcement

May 26, 2006

The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment - NAABT publishes an advocacy newsletter.

To add yourself to the mailing list, please either write or send an email to: subscribe@naabt.org

Website: http://www.naabt.org/

A Critical Review of the Evidence for Policy Makers

2006-05-26T15:38:00.003-04:00

Announcement

May 26, 2006

A Critical Review of the Evidence for Policy Makers
Join Together

A review of hundreds of studies examining substance abuse treatment found that treatment is not only effective in reducing alcohol and drug use, it also helps lower crime and healthcare costs. The report offers a helpful resource for coalitions looking to demonstrate the value of treatment to their community or for coalitions looking to enhance their treatment capacity.

Download Here

Download: 380K; Publication Year: 2005

Publisher

Alcohol & Drug Problem Association of North America
307 North Main
St. Charles, mo 63301
Phone: 314-589-6702
Website: http://www.adpana.com/

Specialized Care for Expectant Mothers on Methadone (NENAMA-MOM) (Join Together, March 13, 2006)

2006-05-26T15:32:00.001-04:00

Specialized Care for Expectant Mothers on Methadone
Join Together
March 13, 2006

The Mothers on Methadone (MOM) Program at Kent Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island dispels the stigma facing pregnant and postpartum women in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) by providing them and their newborns with specialized education, support services and follow-up care, the Addiction Treatment Forum reported in its Winter 2006 issue.

Prior to delivery, pregnant women in the MOM Program receive specialized addiction counseling, prenatal education classes and assistance meeting healthcare needs. Specially trained staff provide support and explanations after the delivery to help new mothers deal with the infant's treatment for opioid withdrawal, or neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which lasts 23 days on average. Phone consultations and referrals to community-based services continue after the mothers are discharged.

The MOM Program was begun in July 2005 by Sharon Dembinski, a pediatric nurse practitioner, certified methadone advocate and mother of five who first learned about addiction through her son's dependence on heroin. Dembinski is also the founder of the first chapter of the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) specifically for mothers on methadone, called the New England NAMA-MOM chapter.

"So far, the Moms who've delivered are doing quite well, with the majority remaining in MMT and relapse-free," said Dembinski. She hopes that her program can serve as a national model and as proof that adequate methadone doses during pregnancy are essential to the health of mothers and their infants.

Join Together, March 13, 2006

NAMA Restores Medicaid Transportation Checks to NYC Patients

2006-05-20T16:59:00.000-04:00

Announcement

May 20, 2006

Re: Medicaid, New York

Last December NYC had a Transit Strike and Medicaid patients received their transportation checks as usual. Or at least until Medicaid realized that patients were being paid for subway transportation that did not exist for 3 or 4 days. Medicaid viewed the error as fraud. It did not matter that many patients had to take cabs which cost them more than a subway fare. The only consideration was that patients were being paid for something that was not there.

In their great wisdon Medicaid stopped all transportation checks. Patients began to complain that they had not received their checks. Four dollars a day is a lot for someone with a fixed income. But Medicaid was not understanding and continued to stretch the whole affair out.

Then the expected thing happened: a patient was arrested for jumping the turnstile. That was it! Walter Ginter at this point called the Medicaid offices and read them the NAMA Riot Act. And within hours programs were being notified that the checks were being released. So much for procrastination.

By the end of May all Medicaid Transportation should be up to date.

Methadonia Video Will Include NAMA Advocates

2006-05-20T16:50:00.000-04:00

Announcement

May 20, 2006

Methadonia Video Will Include NAMA Advocates

In spite of the harm that "Methadonia" has done to patients. The film producer Michael Negroponte in an error to try and make things better will be including with the video package additional interviews that include Walter Ginter and Lisa Torres discussing methadone, stigma and advocacy.

While this can not undo the damage that was done it is a serious attempt to at least show that the patients in the film were not typical. Showing of the film can't be taken back so this addition to the film will at least give persons who have not seen it another view.

Short Summary ATTOD and International Harm Reduction Conference

2006-05-20T16:45:00.000-04:00

May 20, 2006

Short Summary

ATTOD and International Harm Reduction Conference

As in the past 2 conferences the CMA Training went well with close to 100 new or recertifying CMAs.

The workshop presentation was excellent with Sharon Dembinski, Paul Bowman and Donna Schoen all presenting on different aspects of advocacy. Rokki Baker chaired the workshop.

This years Advocate of the Year Award went to Sharon Dembinski for her work with the MOM Program.

In addition to the Advocate of the Year Award three NAMA advocates were honored with lifetime achievement awards. Donna Schoen chair of NAMA's oldest chapter was given an award for the contributions she has made and for just hanging in! John and Barbara Finger were also honored for the work they have done often being the only help for patients in the Southwest.

Vancouver 2006

The International Harm Reduction Conference this year had NAMA advocates just about everywhere. Joycelyn Woods, Rokki Baker and Becki Ballard all presented. Bill Nelles formerly of The Alliance in the UK helped with organizing the conference this year and was recipient of the Rolleston Award. Congratulations Bill!

There was also 2 historic meetings at the conference. First NAMA had the very first Affiliate Organizational Meeting similar to the chapter meeting at ATTOD. Following what we usually do at ATTOD and International Advocate of the Year Award was given to Bill Nelles for his work in Canada and a Lifetime Achievement to Joergen Kjaer.

Congratulations to all our recipients of awards we think you are pretty special!

Finally a meeting was organized to create a Canadian group that will be based on the structure and beliefs of NAMA primarily to deal with methadone issues in Canada. Bill Nelles asked everyone to attend including NAMA and BF because we will be helping them along so they can function as an organization as soon as possible. The Canadian methadone system is not friendly and patients are abused consistently with no where to turn for help. Enters NAMA and the new organization to change things.

So in all these were some very productive weeks. And after a rest we will have some work ahead of us this summer.

PREMIER HEPATITIS C AND HEPATITIS C/HIV TREATMENT OFFERED AT THE WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL CENTER FOR THE METHADONE MAINTAINED PATIENTS

2006-05-08T16:45:00.001-04:00

Announcement

May 8, 2006

PREMIER HEPATITIS C AND HEPATITIS C/HIV TREATMENT

OFFERED AT THE WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL CENTER

FOR THE METHADONE MAINTAINED PATIENTS

The methadone maintenance program of the Weill Cornell Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital in collaboration with the Hepatology Department is now offering the highest quality hepatitis C treatment to methadone patients who reside in New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the New England States. Patients who are dually infected with HIV will also be eligible for treatment. This unique program, the first of its kind in the United States, integrates methadone treatment with Hepatitis C and HIV medications and psychiatric care. Treatment is provided by a prestigious medical and social work team affiliated with this world renowned institution.

The methadone maintenance program is one of the most progressive in the country offering to qualified patients, methadone medical maintenance. In this program qualified patients see their physician in a private office and obtain a month's supply of methadone from a neighborhood pharmacy. There is no observed ingestion of methadone in this program. Patients will also be treated by medical specialists at Cornell for Hepatitis C or for both HIV and Hepatitis C. If patients are not eligible for medical maintenance, they will receive methadone treatment in a new modern clinic with a concerned professional team consisting of internists, psychiatrists, nurses and social workers. The medical and psychiatric care for the treatment of Hepatitis C and HIV in either venue will be of the same high quality.

Payment for treatment will be assessed on an individual basis. Medicaid and Medicare are accepted. Forms for private insurance will be completed for reimbursement to the patient.

Ann B. Beeder, M.D., Medical Director

For further information, please call:

Dr. Eugenia Curet, Administrative Director Tel. 212-746-1252
Mr. Kim Alexander, Clinic Supervisor Tel. 212-746-1276
Mr. Hector Rodriguez, Clinic Supervisor Tel. 212-746-7744

6th National Harm Reduction Conference

2006-04-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

Announcement

April 18, 2006

6th National Harm Reduction Conference

Drug User Health:

The Politics and the Personal

November 9 - 12, 2006
Oakland, CA
Oakland Marriott City Center

For more information please visit:
www.harmreduction.org/6national

European Association of Addiction Therapy (Conference)

2006-04-18T16:30:00.001-04:00

Announcement

April 18, 2006

European Association of Addiction Therapy

Second Annual Conference

6 – 8 July 2006
London, UK

We are very proud to announce the 2nd Annual EAAT conference, chaired by Professor Michael Gossop.

The meeting is taking place at the historic Central Hall Westminster, which is located opposite to the Houses of Parliament.

Call for Speakers, Posters, Registrations and Sponsorship

The conference topics and streams are as follows:

Stream 1: Genetics, Aetiology, Epidemiology, Neuroimaging and Underlying Neuronal Mechanisms

Potential Topics:
fMRI Scanning and Gambling Tasks
Neuroimaging of Drug Dependence
Pathways and Neurotransmitters
Relating Neurotransmitter Activation to Behaviour
Interactions between Genes and the Environment
Neurobiology of Addiction – what have we learnt?
Using Molecular Genetics to Understand Addiction

Stream 2: Treating the Clinical Consequences 1: Alcoholism

Potential Topics:
Best practice in Treating Alcoholism in the community
Treatment options for Alcoholism in the private institution
Optimising Drug Treatments for Alcoholism – how to achieve results

Stream 3: Treating the Clinical Consequences 2: Drug Dependence

Potential Topics:
Best practice in treating Opioid Dependence
Combination Therapy for Treatment of Drug Addiction
Methadone Substitution Treatment
Drug Drug Interactions
Evaluating Buprenorphine’s Impact
Schools and Adolescent Issues
Pharmacotherapy for Cocaine Dependence
Marijuana, Psychoses and Dependence: to Treat or not to Treat?

Stream 4: Nicotene, Society and the Accepted Addictions

Potential Topics:
Impact of Addiction and Best practice in Treating Smoking Cessation
Mechanisms underlying Smoking Addiction
Societal Schemes for Addiction Control (eg. WHO)
Interactions across the specialities
The Rising Use of Recreational Drugs and Societal Acceptance – MDMA amphetamine
Disorders of Excessive Motivation – Reward Mechanisms, and how to help sufferers cope

Stream 5: Dual-diagnosis

Potential Topics:
Summary of Common Co-morbidities with Addictive Personalities
ADHD and Substance abuse
Borderline Personality/Personality Disorders and abuseSmoking and Psychoses
Addiction and Affect – how to help with disorders of decreased motivation
Harm Reduction and Addictions Treatment
Alcohol as an Anxiolytic – treating the anxious patient
Pregnancy and Addiction – issues and treatment
Crime and Punishment – Institutional Drug Abuse

Stream 6: Late Breaking News, Case Studies, Culture and History

Please visit http://www.eaat.org/ for more information or to register for the meeting.

EAAT Scientific Secretariat
Nottingham, UK
www.eaat.org
info@eaat.org
Tel: +44 (0) 115 969 2016
Fax: +44 (0) 115 969 2017

Documentary on Lexington Looks for Former Patients/Inmates

2006-02-10T16:50:00.001-05:00

A documentary on Lexington, KY and the Public Health Hospital is being made. For many years this was just about the only place that anyone addicted to opiates could get treatment. There was also a prison attached so many patients were not there voluntarily being sent from courts all over the US. This is where Dr. Nyswander first met "heroin addicts" and after leaving there and going to New York she continued treating them. This film will document the hospital's history and they are looking former patients and inmates, or their families to interview about there experience. Below is the Announcement with all the information.

Announcement

February 10, 2006

Documentary on Lexington Looks for Former Patients/Inmates

Hello, my name is JP Olsen and I'm working on a documentary that covers the history of Lexington's US Public Health Service Hospital and I need your help.

This film - which has been funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Jerome Foundation and the Fund for Investigative Journalism - features interviews with former patients and inmates of Lexington's "Narcotics Hospital," as well as interviews with doctors who worked there. I have interviewed half a dozen former inmates and/or Lexington patients.

However, I am having some difficulty finding people who were at the facility between the years of 1945 and 1960. If you or some one you know was at this facility as a patient and or inmate - particularly if you participated in the Addiction Research Program - I would be extremely interested in meeting with you to discuss this film.

Though I am based out of New York, I would be happy to travel to meet you, regardless of the location. My contact information is as follows:

JP Olsen
502 13th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Home number: 917-576-2374
Email: jporudy@aol

2005 End of the Year Report Issued by AATOD

2006-01-30T11:36:00.002-05:00

Report

January 30, 2006

2005 End of the Year Report Issued by AATOD

AATOD has issued their 2005 End of the Year Report which summarizes the progress AATOD has made during the past year on a number of their initiatives. The link to download is:

http://www.aatod.org/pdfs/End_of_Year_Report_2005.pdf

In 2001 the AATOD Board of Directors approved a five-year plan laying the foundation for a number of critically important projects for our nation’s treatment system. As indicated in the report, the approaching National AATOD Conference in Atlanta during April 22-26, 2006, will feature a number of presentations, reporting on the initiatives described in the report.

The closing plenary session of Wednesday, April 26, 2006 will feature General Barry R. McCaffrey (President / McCaffrey Associates/former Drug Czar) and Dr. David Satcher (President of Morehouse College/former Surgeon General) discussing the future of medication assisted treatment in the United States, including spiritual and political views.

John Walters (Director/White House Office of National Drug Control Policy) will be featured as the keynote speaker during the opening plenary session. The Tuesday plenary session will focus on criminal justice initiatives.

EMERGENCY Curwensville Clinic Burned

2006-01-20T00:54:00.003-05:00

Announcement

January 20, 2006

EMERGENCY

Curwensville Clinic Burned

The Discovery House Curwensville Clinic (Pennsylvnia) was burned down on January 17th. Arson is suspected.

The area for the past 10 years has had one of the highest overdose rates in the country and yet has only one clinic to serve a large area. The next closest clinic is Pittsburgh which is 150 miles away.

Temporary dosing has been set up in the Clearfield Hospital. Patients should report to the Emergency Room.

If you have any questions or problems contact Erika Lear, Director of Pennsylvania NAMA and NAMA's Regional Director for the area.

Erika Lear's Email: rikaros019@aol.com

As more information is known it will be posted.

Report from Arizona 2005 (January 5, 2006)

2006-01-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

Report

January 5, 2006

Steven "Rowdy" Hakes (Director)
rowdy582004@yahoo.com
Southern Arizona NAMA Chapter

Report

Arizona 2005

Here in Arizona. are clinics are in pretty good shape. To my knowledge there are no dose caps "that I know of" and no waiting for treatment or on a list. In fact there are so many clinics between Phoenix and Tucson, they have to compete with each other. So that puts patients in this area the closest to being real health care consumers and having a choice in treatment than patients in other areas.

My clinic is one of the best I've heard of and this is just hearing what other patients say. I've been there since 1992 when I started treatment. Thirteen years at the same place!! And I love these people, I even disliked going to 30 day take homes, because I miss seeing them(1). I know very few patients can say that.

So at least in Arizona there are not the serious problems such as access, dose caps, etc. That does not mean that there are not problems and that advocacy is not needed in this state. There is always the need to educate the public and communities about the benefits of medication-assisted treatment (MAT). And patients need help with issues such as employment, family issues, child welfare or health care.

Notes
1. Aw --- I didn't really dislike going to the 30 day take homes, but I really do miss talking with the diretor, nurse and other staff.

"Together we can make a difference"
NAMA website http://www.methadone.org/

New York City Ibogaine Conference 2/25-26/2006

2006-01-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

Announcement

January 2, 2006

New York City Ibogaine Conference

Saturday, February 25 & Sunday, February 26, 2006

Columbia University
Lerner Hall 115th Street @ Broadway
Satow Room, 5th floor
New York, NY

Free Registration for Columbia University Proceedings
Please RSVP Tyler Case: tfc2101@columbia.edu or 1 (856) 577-2466

Workshops of Special Interest:

Saturday, February 25, 2006 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Ibogaine Development: Politics, Policy, Profit, Prejudice and Science
Howard S. Lotsof, President Dora Weiner Foundation; Discover of ibogaine's antiaddictive effects

Saturday Evening Reception 7:30 PM

The Yippie Museum
The Yippie Museum will be presenting free screenings of two ibogaine documentary films: "Ibogaine: Rite of Passage" by Ben de Loenen and "Detox or Die" by David Graham Scott. Location: 9 Bleecker Street, Ground Floor, 212 677-4899 Sunday, February 26, 2006

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Chapel of Sacred Mirrors

Location: 540 West 27th Street - 4th floor New York, NY 10001 212 564-4253
$20.00 registration for Chapel of Sacrad Mirror Proceedings

For Additional Information - 212 677-4899

Kent Hospital's Mothers on Methadone Conference a Success (December 7, 2005)

2005-12-08T14:35:00.000-05:00

Report

December 8, 2005

Sharon Dembinski, PNP, CMA
Kent Hospital/Women & Infants' Hospital
Kent Hospital Mother's On Methadone Program

Kent Hospital's Mothers on Methadone Conference

December 7, 2005

The conference was held last night and it was a huge success! The room was packed with well over 100 attendees. The speakers were eloquent and their presentations led to many excellent questions from the audience.

I received many emails today in response to last night's conference and I wanted to share some of the comments. Many of the speakers and planning committee members have also received many, many positive comments as well!

I want to personally thank each one of the speakers for so graciously agreeing to be involved. Their presence made the conference what it was.

I would also like to thank all those that were able to attend. I hope you were as satified with the presentation and content as I was.

To those would were not able to attend: maybe next year? I would love to be able to make this a yearly event!!

Thank you all for your interest, support and encouragement!

Sharon Dembinski, PNP, CMA
Kent Hospital Mother's On Methadone Program
NENAMA Mother's On Methadone
401 736-4561

:.·´¯)*(¯`·..::.·´¯)*(¯`·..::.·´¯)*(¯`·..::.·´¯)*(¯`·..::.·´¯)*(¯`·..::.·´¯)*(¯`·..:

"It was an excellent program. On a personal level, it was so heartbreaking to me, I had many tears in my eyes during the conference and a good cry later ..there is hope"

"Good news on your conference. Great job"

"Congrats!!!!"

"great job, great attendance, a lot of good information"

"Congratulations, sounds like it was a wonderful event"

"I too heard positive feedback this morning. It was a delight to work with the planning committee on this event. Well done all!!!"

"The conference content was very well directed to the target audience and it was well received. The speakers were very eloquent and quite punctual and the food was great.

I am sure this will change the attitudes, and help remove the myths and stigma associated with methadone treatment and addiction in general."

"Very nice job. Again, kudos to all involved"

"I'm so sorry i wasn't able to attend - I was in a car

.........My husband did go, and thought it was really terrific!!!! Congratulations!!!"

"Congratulations on a well run and very informative training last night. Dr. Payte is quite knowledgeable and had a very good presentation. Your staff seems very understanding and caring towards the Mom’s on Methadone and I’m sure your results reflect that. We’d like to have you come down to our program for a presentation and Q&A with our staff. We’d love to have them see what a sensitive and caring unit can look like."

***

Report on Massachusetts - November 2005

2005-12-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

Report

December 8, 2005

Paul Bowman, CMA
Director, Boston NAMA
Massachusetts NAMA

Report on Massachusetts

November 2005

This author as a member of the Massachusetts Dept of Public Heath Consumer Advisory Board gave a presentation on methadone treatment to the board. Sharon Dembinski,RN, MSN, PNP, CMA NENAMAMOM and Dana Moulton, CMA MA NAMA helped by taking questions about MAT treatment after the presentation. It went very well and many members stated they never knew about the science behind methadone treatment and thought it made patients high. Hopefully this will begin to educate the the recovery community about methadone treatment and begin to change attitudes.

Other recent accomplishment include:

1. Paul Bowman and Maureen Neville, CMA MA NAMA after several years have finally got a commitment from the state methadone authority to meet with the group of Massachusetts NAMA advocates. This includes quarterly meetings between the department and MA NAMA to continue dialogue regarding important issues. This is a tremendous accomplishment and has the potential for having a real impact on methadone treatment.

2. Paul Bowman has become certified as a First Responders for people with addiction issues from the states emergency response center. In this capacity he would be called upon by the Massachusetts FEMA if they needed to counsel people after a disaster or crisis. The course was taught by a doctor who counseled 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina responders. Massachusetts NAMA through Paul Bowman have requested that methadone patients be included in the states disaster planning units.

3. Maureen Neville and Paul Bowman after a year of discussion with HMI regarding a brochure to be given to patients who need help with problems they may have with their clinic. The brochure is designed to guide patients to resources that will help them in resolving a problem that they can not do on their own.

4. MA NAMA is going to be meeting with Jan Kaufman who is president of the providers association and represents AATOD in the state. MS Kaufman agreed to meet with Dana Moulton and Paul Bowman about clinics having a more uniform fair approach to take home medication and fee tox policy.

5. This month four (4) patient grievances were resolved to a favorable outcome for the patients and involved all of the Massachusetts NAMA team handling different cases.

New Orleans Update (11/8/2005)

2005-12-02T16:36:00.001-05:00

November 8, 2005

The patients living in New Orleans and Mississippi are encountering a second traumatizing event. The programs in the area are self pay and typically a month treatment is anything from $200-300. Most patients have lost their jobs and while new jobs to clean up the area will be available patients are discovering that they do not have the money to pay for treatment. Up to 4000 patients could be facing a Feetox in the next month or two and I would suspect that most patients are very close to it now. Many have lost their homes and even family members, now at a most critical time they could receive a 10 to 30 days administrative withdrawal.

If you are facing a Feetox in the next month or two NAMA needs to know about it. Send your personal story to Joycelyn Woods at: nama.president@Verizon.net.

Put in the subject: Feetox in New Orleans.

Mark your message Priority.

Here is what to include:

A paragraph on your situation.
The name of your program.
The state you live in.
The amount of time you have left before you are not able to pay. Give an approximate date.
We do not need your name or any identifying information. Each story will be screened for any identifying data.

Update on Shelby County Alabama

2005-12-02T16:04:00.001-05:00

December 2, 2005

Update on Shelby County Alabama

The Court of Appeals overturned the ruling that was blocking the Shelby County MTP from opening. Just about every state in the South needs more methadone programs and this will at least help patients in the area of Shelby County.

Susan Staats-Sidwell sent out a thank you to NAMA and everyone that helped this program open. Read the article in the Birmingham News.

Court OK's Methadone Clinic for Shelby. Birmingham News, October 22, 2005.

Original Posting: October 25, 2005

HBO's Methadonia Stigma Strikes Again

2005-12-02T16:01:00.001-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact: Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA
(212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release: December 1, 2005

New York

HBO's Methadonia Stigma Strikes Again

On October 6, 2005 HBO premiered a "so-called" documentary called "Methadonia" directed by Michel Negroponte. To give you an idea of the tone of the movie here is the Press Release from its premier at the New York Film Festival September 23, 2005.

The 43rd New York Film Festival
September 23 - October 9, 2005

Sponsored by Sponsored by HSBC Private Bank, a division of HSBC USA, N.A., The New York Times, and Audi.

Methadonia

DV camera in hand, filmmaker Michel Negroponte takes us on an eye-opening tour of the borderland of recovering heroin addicts on methadone maintenance-a place where the seasons run together into one long rainy spell between an oblivious past and a receding future. There's Millie, who after 28 years of drug use now counsels recovering addicts; George, an ex-rocker dreaming of making a fresh start; Susie and Eddie, trying to take control of their lives before their new baby arrives; and Steve, a charming, formerly homeless man out to prove that rehab is possible. Weaving the stories of these and other lives together, Negroponte lays bare a system that seemingly offers addicts a way out of their affliction while in fact the treatment itself often becomes another kind of trap. 88 min. USA, 2005 An HBO Documentary Films Release.

Shown with Victoria Para Chino (Cary Fukunaga, USA/Mexico, 2004, 14 min).

One of NAMA greatest concerns is that this movie will become the definitive documentary on methadone because it confirms all the myths and misunderstandings. Therefore hoping that HBO would at least issue a disclaimer prior to the showing NAMA hand delivered a letter to their corporate offices in New York. If you saw the premier you know that no disclaimer was issued and HBO's reply to our letter was disappointing. HBO did not even have the consideration to contact NAMA regarding our concerns and only sent a form letter that was typical of a corporate response that said that feel they have no responsiblity in the response of family, friends and communities who view the movie. We are dissapointed as we hoped that HBO would at least attempt to repair some of the damage they were doing.

Read Nama's Letter to HBO

Read HBO's Response

What Can You Do?

Write to HBO

Tell them what you thought about the film. If you have a personal experience because of the film include it in your letter. (i.e. family and friends now want you to withdraw from methadone as that was the message in the movie, community used the film to block the opening of a clinic, etc.)

Home Box Office
1100 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036

MOST IMPORTANT Send a copy of your letter to the PRISM Awards.

These are awards given by the entertainment industry to recognize educational projects. We do not think that HBO deserves an award this year or in fact for many years considering the damage they have done.

PRISM Awards
Entertainment Industry Council
10635 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste. 100
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Send a copy Of your letter to HBO to SAMHSA and include a note asking them to issue a public statement about "Methadonia".

All the major professional organizations involved with methadone treatment have sent a letter to HBO and/or issued a press release with the exception of the federal government. While usually the government does not issue statements about such issues NAMA believes that in this case it is important. And since the government is involved with the PRISM Awards it becomes their responsiblity to issue a statement.

NAMA has sent a letter requesting a public statement and SAMHSA may need a little encouragement from patients and professionals.

Mr. Charles Curie, Administrator
SAMHSA
1 Choke Cherry Road
Rockville, MD 20850

Below are some links to visit including the HBO Message Board where you will find a discussion about the movie and I would advise that as many patients and professionals as possible visit it.

Links

HBO Message Board
Robert Newman's Letter to HBO
HBO Synopsis
Interview with Director Michel Negroponte
Schedule
Resources
Download AATOD Press Release (pdf format)
Methadone Anonymous Support Forum (Negroponte visited the Forum 10/24/05)
Negroponte MA Forum Thread
The PRISM Awards

Originally Posted: October 20, 2005

Emergency Help for New Orleans

2005-12-02T16:00:00.001-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact: Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA (212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release: September 1, 2005

New Orleans

Emergency Help for New Orleans

NAMA has responded to the New Orleans Emergency by creating a Forum at We Speak Methadone where information is posted and also where you can post information. If you are having trouble finding a clinic or getting medication here is where to look for information. Or if you are trying to find someone you can post a message here.

NAMA is working to keep any information from the various agencies posted and available for you.

Emergency Page

WSM Emergency Forum

Originally Posted: September 1, 2005

September is National Recovery Month

2005-12-02T15:57:00.001-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates
Press Release

Contact: Joycelyn Woods MA-CMA
(212) 595-NAMA/6262

For Release:
August 28, 2005

September is National Recovery Month

September is National Recovery Month and NAMA declares 2005 as the Year for Methadone Patients to Claim Recovery. For way too long methadone patients have been denied to celebrate their recovery and this year will be the start of a new beginning.

Visit our Celebrate Recovery Page and Forum to post your accomplishments or to just celebrate Your Recovery.

Celebrate Recovery Month

Post your recovery story at the: Celebrate Recovery Forum

Original Posting: August 28, 2005

West Virginia Proposes New Regulations

2005-12-02T15:54:00.001-05:00

July 14, 2005

Announcement

West Virginia Proposes New Regulations

West Virginia is proposing new methadone regulations. Check them out on WV Methadone Advocacy Projects website and find out what to do.

WV Methadone Advocacy Project.

Proposed WV Regulations DRAFT.

Original Posting: July 14, 2005

First Article Anniversary

2005-12-02T15:50:00.001-05:00

Announcement

July 5, 2005

New York

First Article Anniversary

Forty-eight years ago the first article "Heroin Addiction - A Metabolic Disease" was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine by Drs. Dole and Nyswander.

The original paper on methadone has been published and re-published a number of times. But over the years it is often cited but the original paper is easily forgotten after all this time. Here is an opportunity to download it and read it. It has some surprising insight considering it was written in 1967.

Heroin Addiction - A Metabolic Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 120, July, 1967. (pdf format)*

* Note: Attached to this publication are some files from the early project.

Originally Posted: July 5, 2005

Shelf Life of Methadone

2005-12-02T15:44:00.001-05:00

Announcement

June 25, 2005

New York

Shelf Life of Methadone

AATOD has issued a policy statement about the shelf life of methadone. The article includes recommendations about the diluting vehicle, storage time and temperature.

Shelf Life for Methadone Hydrochloride Products. June 11, 2004, AATOD Policy Statement.

Originally Posted: June 25, 2005

New GAO Report on Drug Screens

2005-12-02T15:41:00.001-05:00

Announcement

May 28, 2005

Washington, D.C.

New GAO Report on Drug Screens

Testimony by Robert J. Cramer, managing director, Office of Special Investigations, before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. GAO-05-653T, May 17.

Drug Tests: Products to Defraud Drug Use Screening Tests Are Widely Available , by Robert J. Cramer, managing director, Office of Special Investigations.

Originally Posted: May 28, 2005

Patient Speaks About Recovery

2005-12-02T15:39:00.001-05:00

Announcement

April 30, 2005

Canada

On The Road To Recovery

Former drug addict Rick Chase is a regular at the methadone clinic, located in the Victoria Health Centre, in downtown Fredericton. He says methadone has helped him kick his drug habit and get on with his life.

Read a positive story about methadone, published in Canada.

ON ROAD TO RECOVERY. The Daily Gleaner, April 23, 2005.

Originally Posted: April 30, 2005

Pain Management for Buprenorphrine Patients

2005-12-02T15:36:00.001-05:00

Announcement

December 10, 2004

New York

Reckitt Benckiser Letter About Pain Management and Buprenorphrine

This letter is the reply to a letter that NAMA sent regarding pain management and buprenorphrine patients. Reckitt Benckiser's response includes guidelines for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.

Reckitt Benckiser Letter. November 22, 2004. (pdf format)

Originally Posted: December 10, 2004

Alabama is Under Fire!!!!

2005-12-02T15:28:00.001-05:00

Announcement

October 24, 2004

Shelby County, Alabama

Alabama is Under Fire!!!!

Alabama does not have very many programs and losing one for patients can mean losing their treatment. This is just what is happening in Alabama a program was needed and followed all the rules including getting a Certificate of Need -- except when a judge steps in! Read the press release and newspaper articles about this difficult situation.

Press Release. Alabama Program is Under Fire, October 27, 2004

Letter to Sherrif Curry. Gary Mandel, Maryland NAMA asks the sheriff to reconsider.

Original Posting: October 27, 2004

New Publication on Methadone-associated Mortality

2005-12-02T15:25:00.001-05:00

Anouncement

October 20, 2004

Washington, D.C.

New Publication on Methadone-associated Mortality

This report summarizes the data used by assessment experts to evaluate the nature and scope of methadone-associated mortality, as well as to present their findings and recommendations.

Methadone-Associated Mortality: Report of a National Assessment. September 1, 2004.

Originally Posted: October 20, 2004

President’s Recovery Month Proclamation, 2005

2005-12-02T14:40:00.001-05:00

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates

August 18, 2005

President’s Recovery Month Proclamation

Whereas, substance use disorders are a serious and treatable public health problem affecting thousand of Americans of all ages, races, ethnic backgrounds and having huge medical ,societal and economic costs; and

Whereas, methadone treatment is the “gold standard” for all drug and alcohol treatments and yet is misunderstood because of years of prejudice and ignorance directed at it; and

Whereas, hundreds of thousands of methadone patients have been restored to functional lives and support their families as productive citizens; and

Whereas, methadone patients themselves have born the brunt of the prejudice directed to methadone treatment and are rarely told or treated as recovering persons; and

Whereas, just as drug and alcohol problems effect all areas of the community so to does recovery depends on the cooperation and support of family. friends, neighbors, community leaders, health care professionals and advocates; and

Whereas, methadone advocates throughout the nation are committed to reversing the stigma directed towards at methadone treatment and especially patients; and

Whereas, this September 2005 will be the 16th year that Recovery Month has been celebrated joining together recovering persons to celebrate; and

Whereas, with the theme “Join the Voice for Recovery: Healing Lives, Families and Communities” the 2005 observance of Recovery Month calls attention to the positive impact of treatment and the need for healing the prejudice that methadone patients have faced in their recovery; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I Joycelyn Sue Woods, President of the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates do hereby proclaim September 2005 as -

NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH AND
THE YEAR OF RECOGNITION OF RECOVERY FOR METHADONE PATIENTS

to encourage and promote a greater understanding of methadone therapy and medication-assisted-treatments and to recognize the recovery of methadone patients.

Original Posting: August 18, 2005

WHAT IS A BLOG?

2005-12-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

For the uninitiated, a blog is an online journal, or Weblog, that contains thoughts, opinions, reflections, insights, and commentary from an organization or individual operator.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BLOG:

This is the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates President's Blog to for methadone patients, former patients, their families and healthcare professionals. This blog will provide information and announcements about NAMA, methadone advocacy and treatment.

The President Takes Issue...
Here you will find current and timely issues that are impacting the quality of methadone treatment and particularly the treatment of methadone patients.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment is under attack in West Virginia

2003-01-28T17:13:00.001-05:00

Addiction Treatment Watchdog
Advocates for Recovery through Medicine
Date: January 28, 2004
For Immediate Release
Contact: Joycelyn Woods nama.president@verizon.net
Charles Kitts vanama@comcast.net
Phone: (212) 595-6262
Terri Martinez staff@atwatchdog.org
Chris Kelly DCReardon@aol.com

Methadone Maintenance Treatment is under attack in West Virginia

Delegate Marshall Long, D-Mercer County, West Virginia, plans to introduce a bill creating new state regulations for Opiate Treatment Programs. Long is eyeing regulations from surrounding states to create another needless layer of regulation.

Because Opiate Treatment Programs in West Virginia comply with best treatment practices outlined in the Federal Regulations and CSAT Accreditation Guidelines, patients enrolled in West Virginia Opiate Treatment Programs currently receive some of the best quality treatment available in the United States. This will change soon if Long has his way.

If Longs proposed bill is passed and regulations such as some of the surrounding states currently have are put into effect, West Virginia patients will no longer be able to access quality treatment. The result could be once stable residents relapsing to active opiate misuse.

Delegate Long has also indicated that West Virginia's nonprofit mental health centers should run the clinics instead of privately-owned treatment programs. Long said, “We have trouble funding our mental health centers ... What better way to fund them?”

This comes at a time when most states are changing their regulations to reflect Opiate Treatment Program Federal Regulations that went into effect May 2001. The regulations and best treatment practices outlined in the CSAT Accreditation Guidelines were written by the top experts in the field of opiate addiction treatment to bring uniformity and quality treatment to Opiate Treatment Programs across the country.

West Virginia doesn't need another tier of rules and regulations created by politicians to complicate an already over-regulated medical treatment. We hope to educate West Virginia's elected officials with facts about Methadone Maintenance Treatment, so they can make an educated vote, instead of one based on methadone myths, misinformation and hysteria.

Join us in saving quality medication-assisted treatment for West Virginia patients, and put a stop to this unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars and elected official’s time by writing West Virginia officials and others.

More information can be obtained at:

Addiction Treatment Watchdog
PO Box 585
Springfield, MO 65801
staff@atwatchdog.org
http://www.atwatchdog.org

Advocates for Recovery through Medicine
PO Box 26377
Washington, DC 20001
DCReardon@aol.com
http://www.arm-advocates.org

National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA)
435 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Phone/Fax: (212) 595-NAMA/6262
president.nama@verizon.net
http://www.methadone.org

Virginia NAMA
vanama@comcast.net

Example Letter

West Virginia Legislature Directory

West Virginia Media

News Articles

Charleston Gazette (WV), January 22, 2004.
Methadone Clinics Put On Hold.

Charleston Daily Mail (WV), January 22, 2004.
Methadone Clinics Forced To Wait.

Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV), January 9, 2004.
Moratorium Could Stall Methadone Clinic Project.

Charleston Gazette (WV), January 8, 2004.
Methadone Clinic Moratorium Possible.

Clarksburg Exponent, January 24, 2004.
Delegates react to methadone ban proposal.
(Not available)

Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV), January, 5, 2004.
LTE- Half Truths About Methadone Clinics.