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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The Opioid Addiction Epidemic: An Interview with Andrew Kolodny, MD, National Expert on the Current Opioid Addiction Epidemic in the United States
Ira Minot (IM): We are honored to have this opportunity to speak with you Dr. Kolodny. Our readers are anxious to learn about the current opioid epidemic. Andrew Kolodny (AK): I am very pleased that Behavioral Health News is devoting this issue to the current opioid epidemic. Opioid addiction is...
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Unintended Consequences: Are We Inadvertently Increasing Heroin Overdose Deaths?
Two years ago, The Fix spearheaded an effort to highlight the public health epidemic caused by the overprescribing of opioid pain medications which resulted in the tens of thousands of overdose deaths that were making front page news. The epidemic was iatrogenic- “caused by physicians”- in...
