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
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Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Howard Stephen Lotsof (3/1/1943 - 1/31/2010)
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:
February 15, 2010
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
Press Release
Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA
For Release:
February 15, 2010
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
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:
February 15, 2010
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:
Press Release
Contact Persons:
Joycelyn Woods, Executive Director, edirector@methadone.org
Roxanne Baker, President, president@methadone.org
Phone/Fax: 212-595-NAMA
For Release:
February 15, 2010
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.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
New Chapters Join NAMA Recovery
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.
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.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Profiles of Recovery Advocacy in Action
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.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
New Education Series "Making Methadone Safe"
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
New Name: National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery
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.
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.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Rokki's NewTube Message
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.
The message was taped at the IDUD 2008 Meetings hosted by NAMA’s Danish Affiliate, BrugerForeningen (BF).
Check out Rokki's Talk at YouTube.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Editorial Comment: AATODs Letter to Treatment Magazine
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
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
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
IDUD 2008 Gathers Top International Advocates
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.
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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/
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Variations In Key Genes Increase Caucasians’ Risk Of Heroin Addiction
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.
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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
Copyright Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/International Behavioural and Neural Genetic Society
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Notice: Medicaid Medicare New Rule Put on Hold
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
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
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.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Gulf Coast Area: Did Emergency Preparations Work?
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.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Hurricane Gustav Threatens Texas to Mobile, Including New Orleans
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
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,
Kerry Wolf New We Speak Methadone Administrator
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.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Methadone Promising in Hard-To-Treat Leukemia
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
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
Friday, February 15, 2008
Indiana Poses New Regulations That Would Force Hundreds Out of Treatment
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
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:
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
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
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 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.
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
Monday, November 12, 2007
Porter Starke Ready to Open New Indiana Clinic
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.
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.
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