-
Addressing the Opioid Crisis in New York City
Like communities and cities across the country, New York City (NYC) has experienced increasing deaths from overdoses due to opioids, which include both opioid analgesics (prescription painkillers) heroin. In NYC, opioid overdoses are the leading cause of deaths from accidental injuries and a...
-
Barriers to Medication Assisted Treatment for Opiate Use Disorders
It has become an all too familiar (but no less disturbing) scenario for the nurse practitioner working in a large drug treatment center in upstate New York. Today she is leading an educational support group for individuals who are opiate dependent and awaiting medication assisted treatment with...
-
From Collaboration to Collective Impact: A Community Approach to Tackle Youth Opioid Abuse on Staten Island
No single organization, however innovative or powerful, alone can address youth substance abuse in a community. A dedicated group of community members, philanthropists, behavioral health providers, law enforcement, government partners, and parents, understood this and came together to collectively...
-
HHS Leaders Call for Expanded Use of Medications to Combat Opioid Overdose Epidemic
A national response to the epidemic of prescription opioid overdose deaths was outlined in the New England Journal of Medicine by leaders of agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The commentary calls upon health care providers to expand their use of medications to treat...
-
Implementing a Buprenorphine Program in an Opioid Treatment Program
Acritical element to successfully treating opioid addiction and addressing the epidemic is offering a wide range of therapies. Due to the extreme dependence created by opioid use, Medication Supported Recovery is often necessary. For decades, Methadone; dispensed in an Outpatient Treatment Program...
-
Integrated Treatment Model for Medication Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorders
Individuals with substance use disorder have high rates of co-occurring medical disorders and are many times more likely to experience serious conditions such as heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and pulmonary disease than individuals without substance use disorders. Additionally, individuals...
-
Prescription Drug and Heroin Epidemic A Central New York Perspective
Like much of the country, New York State is experiencing a public health crisis of a magnitude never before seen related to prescription opiate and heroin overdose and addiction. While efforts to address this crisis are multifaceted, many of those in need of treatment are unable to get the help...
-
Resources Are Needed to Address the Epidemic of Addiction and Overdose
In spite of the fact that seemingly every media outlet in New York has raised awareness about the epidemic of addiction and overdose related to prescription opioids and heroin, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has identified it as a priority. Although the New York State legislature has...
-
Seven Steps to Fix the Opioid Addiction Crisis Now: We Already Have Most of the Tools We Need
Recently, Professional Voices revisited an issue that The Fix has been focused on since its inception: the public health debacle caused by the overprescribing of opioid pain medications, and the related increase in heroin use and overdose, which has contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of...
-
The NYSPA Report: A Multifaceted Approach to the Opioid Epidemic
There has been much discussion around NY State and the country about a surge in heroin usage and overdose deaths. Although the perception is that a drop in “doc shopping” caused the increase in heroin usage, the picture is complex and the history goes back further than some may realize. Heroin...
