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Increasing the Addiction Workforce: Fellowship Training in Addiction Medicine
Substance use is one of the most significant public health issues in the United States. Annual costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care due to use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs exceeds $700 million annually (http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics)....
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Coming to Grips with Substance Use Issues Among Employees’ Young Adult Dependents
The impact of substance use and mental illness on the workplace has been well documented. But how well do employers grasp what’s at stake when faced with employees whose adult dependents are grappling with a mental health or substance use issue? These employers are confronted with two...
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Supporting Peer Specialists
An increasingly common workforce issue is preparing “traditional” providers for working beside peer providers, that is, individuals with the lived experience of mental health issues. SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) defines a peer provider as “a person who...
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The Foundations of a New “Wellness” Workforce
A revolution in the payment and delivery of behavioral health services is poised to transform the healthcare industry and all of its participants. Key stakeholders, including service recipients and their families, medical professionals, social service and community-based organizations, governmental...
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Getting Help: What Are Your Rights in the Workplace if You Are Battling Addiction
According to a 2012 survey by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS), 10 percent of all-American adults, ages 18 and older, consider themselves to be in recovery from drug or alcohol problems. That means many of the...
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Governor Announces New Text Messaging Feature on NYS HOPEline
New Yorkers can now text State HOPEline for support and referral to services for alcohol and drug addiction, and problem gambling. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that New Yorkers can now contact the New York State HOPEline addiction referral and support service by texting 1-877-8-HOPENY....
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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...
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Living with Addiction: The Role of the Family
As you can see by the letters after my name, I am a Social Worker by profession but one of the most significant roles in my life has been as a mother. For the last 6 years I have been the mom of a 28-year-old son who is suffering from the disease of addiction. Prior to my knowing about his drug use...
