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

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

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 (now AATOD) 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 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.

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 AATOD Conference Awards Committee for the final approval.

The deadline for Submissions is March 5, 2013. 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 2012, Las Vegas Roxanne Baker

This Award will be bestowed upon the recipient during the Awards Banquet Ceremony on November 12, 2013 during AATOD’s next National Conference which will convene at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriot.

The individual 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: March 5, 2013

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 718-742-7804

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Download Nomination Forms Nomination Form

Ira Marion 1945-2013

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

It is with sincere sadness and deep regret to have to report on the passing of a NAMA-Recovery Board of Directors member Ira Marion. Ira passed on Monday evening, January 7, 2013 at Beth Israel Medical Center after a struggle with cancer. He was a constant and prolific supporter of Methadone Maintenance Treatment and will be sadly missed by both patients and professional colleagues alike.

Ira's contributions to the advancement of this life-saving treatment for opioid addiction are numerous and legendary, and he was an untiring champion of both patients' rights and patient centered care. His vision of quality treatment was reflected in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Program which he administered for many years. He was courageous in expressing that he was a "product of the system" and that medication assisted treatment is effective and saves numerous lives on a daily basis. Ira was a member of the founding committee of NAMA over 25 years ago. He was proud of assisting in the development of The MARS Project, a collaboration between Einstein and NAMA-Recovery.

We ask that you keep Suzanne Hall-Westcott, his children and grandchildren, and everyone dear to him in your thoughts and prayers. The family has planned a private service is being planned and we ask that you refrain from reaching out to the family.

A memorial service will be planned that will give all of us the opportunity to pay our respects and honor Ira. You can contact NAMA Recovery if you wish to be notified about the service or wish to share your thoughts and we will forward the messages to the family.

Ira will be missed by all who knew him personally and professionally and we send his family and loved ones our sincere sympathy and condolences. His is a universal loss to the field of addiction treatment which will be felt for years to come.

Rest in peace, Ira you will not be soon forgotten by both patients and professional associates.


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