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The Long History and Bright Future of Harm Reduction in New York State
For the past year, the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has implemented a new division among its pillars of prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The newly formed Division of Harm Reduction seeks to bring both the harm reduction philosophy and its practical...
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The NYSPA Report: Overdose Prevention Centers Keep Our People Alive
People with opioid use disorder (OUD) have a high prevalence of a serious mental illness (SMI). Nearly 27% of people with an OUD had a co-occurring SMI (Jones and McCance-Katz 2019), which complicates care when access to dual diagnosis treatment is limited. Overdose deaths have steadily increased...
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NIH Launches Harm Reduction Research Network to Prevent Overdose Fatalities
To address the overdose crisis in the United States, the National Institutes of Health has established a research network that will test harm reduction strategies in different community settings to inform efforts to help save lives. The harm reduction research network’s efforts build on existing...
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NY State Department of Health Warns the Public in Central New York About Alarming Increase In Opioid Overdoses
Providers and Public Encouraged to Take Advantage of New Standing Order, Allowing New Yorkers to Get Naloxone Without a Prescription On August 26, 2022, The New York State Department of Health has been made aware of a rapid increase in opioid-related overdoses in the Central New York region....
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Percentage of Overdose Deaths Involving Methadone Declined Between January 2019 and August 2021
National data indicate COVID-era treatment expansion was not associated with harms, add evidence to support take-home treatment for opioid use disorder The percentage of methadone-involved overdose deaths relative to all drug overdose deaths declined from January 2019 to August 2021, according...
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U.S. Law Enforcement Seizures of Pills Containing Fentanyl Increased Dramatically Between 2018-2021
Law enforcement seizures of pills containing illicit fentanyl increased dramatically between January 2018 and December 2021, according to a new study. The number of individual pills seized by law enforcement increased nearly 50-fold from the first quarter of 2018 to the last quarter of 2021 and the...
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The Department of Health and Human Services Announces Funding for Substance Use Treatment and Prevention Programs
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing two grant programs totaling $25.6 million that will expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder and prevent the misuse of...
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Offering Buprenorphine Medication to People with Opioid Use Disorder in Jail May Reduce Rearrest and Reconviction
A study conducted in two rural Massachusetts jails found that people with opioid use disorder who were incarcerated and received a medication approved to treat opioid use disorder, known as buprenorphine, were less likely to face rearrest and reconviction after release than those who did not...
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Recovery and Inclusion: A Viewpoint in Retrospect
Currently we are faced with a delicate dance, between saving lives and promoting and perpetuating a zombie underclass. Tens of thousands are dying from drug overdose each year. Those who are living in addiction inflict on the society, higher healthcare costs, crime rates and human services costs....
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Building Community Resilience: Prevention and Recovery Services Working Together
September and October were two of the busiest months of the year here at The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Each September, we observe by celebrating a strong and proud recovery community, promoting and supporting innovative treatment and recovery practices,...
