Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from September 2011

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from September 2011

Prescription Drug Deaths Point to 'Epidemic of Consequences'
September 26, 2011... It's difficult to determine the circumstances of the 37,485 prescription overdose deaths that took place in 2009 -- whether the victims were naive users, addicts, pain patients, or some other category, said Leonard J. Paulozzi, M.D., an...

Methadone Clinic Vows to Grow, to Make Dosing More Accessible
September 26, 2011... Turning Point Clinic in East Baltimore now has 680 patients but could probably accommodate 2,000. The question for Rev. Milton Williams, the operator, is how to get the people who most need help to go through the process of getting admitted to...

California Counties Prepare for Influx of State Inmates
September 26, 2011... California is moving many state prisoners to county jails, in a move approved by the legislature this year to decrease overcrowding. Those county jails, in turn, can place low-level offenders in home detention or substance abuse or mental health...

Celebrating and Integrating a Recovery Month Event
September 26, 2011... Editor's note: Below is the fifth and final installment in a series tracing the early evolution of one recovery community organization as it evolves to meet the challenge of and opportunities of providing recovery support services. For earlier...

Obesity and Substance Abuse May Work in Same Part of Brain
September 26, 2011... Last week Orexigen Therapeutics, the sponsor of an obesity drug -- Contrave (naltrexone and buproprion) -- previously rejected by the Food and Drug Administration -- was given approval to resume studies. We wondered what some of the connections...

NIDA Announces Awards for Vaccine Development
September 26, 2011... Thomas Kosten, M.D. and Peter Burkhard, Ph.D. have each been awarded $500,000 a year for five years to support their research by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Kosten, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, will use the funding to...

Mass. Vivitrol Treatment Provider Charged with Medicaid Fraud
September 26, 2011... Charged with Medicaid fraud, Punyamurtula Kishore, M.D., has shut down several of his Massachusetts clinics, leaving addicted patients who need treatment stranded, the Cape Cod Times reported Sept. 22. Kishore, who treated patients with...

SAMHSA Finds Substance Abuse Treatment Up among Parolees
September 26, 2011... A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has found that the percentage of parolees who received substance abuse treatment increased in 2009 compared to previous years. "While increased access to...

West Virginia Lawmakers Call for FDA Involvement in Rx Drug Abuse
September 26, 2011... U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) has called for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be an active partner in fighting prescription drug abuse, the Register-Herald reported Sept. 17. "We have gotten the FDA's attention," said Representative...

OASAS Commissioner on Merger with OMH, Role of Enforcement
September 26, 2011... Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez Sanchez talked to the Albany Times Union last week about her plans for the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS): to have "one-stop shopping" for mental health and substance abuse patients, to...

Coming up ...
September 26, 2011... The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) will hold the 2011 Course on the State of the Art in Addiction Medicine October 27-29 in Washington, D.C. Go to www.asam.org/SOACourse.html for more information.

In Case You Haven't Heard
September 26, 2011... After a stressful incident, administration of marijuana may prevent the development of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published in Neuropsychopharmacology. The study was conducted on rats and the injection of...

Field reaction mixed to SAMHSA's inclusion of MH in Recovery Month.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, mental health)
September 19, 2011... After more than 20 years designating September as the month to commemorate addiction treatment and recovery, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this month quietly added mental health, proclaiming that National...

TC departs from peers in working with clients receiving methadone.(therapeutic community)(Treatment Program Profile)
September 19, 2011... The simply worded question "When does recovery begin?" can elicit lengthy and sometimes heated debates among treatment center professionals. The therapeutic community (TC)-based agency Samaritan Village in New York City finds itself departing...

NIDA and NIAAA skeptical of but intrigued by use of SPECT.(National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, single photon emission computed tomography)
September 19, 2011... SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans are increasingly popular in substance abuse treatment programs, mainly as a tool to help patients see--in brilliant colors--how their brains have been affected by substance abuse. The only...

Merged N. J. division embarks on Medicaid waiver for MBHO.(managed behavioral healthcare organization)
September 19, 2011... Now that almost a year has gone by since the merger of New Jersey's former Division of Addiction Services (DAS) and former Division of Mental Health Services (DMHS), ADAW asked Raquel Mazon Jeffers, who was recently appointed deputy director of...

Why addiction treatment must be a part of mainstream health care.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
September 19, 2011... The science and research community has long recognized drug and alcohol addiction is not a moral failing--it is a disease. Unfortunately, the way in which our health care system deals with substance use disorders has not kept pace with the...

Federal funding advocates needed.(Brief article)
September 19, 2011... Advocates who are interested in and able to articulate the benefits of federal funding for substance abuse should do so now, as in coming weeks, Congress is heading towards making spending decisions in three different ways--1) the regular...

Baltimore methadone clinic says it will give 'open access'.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 19, 2011... Whether the state approves or not, Rev. Milton Williams plans to launch an "open access" methadone treatment program in Baltimore next week. The program would be open from 6 pm to midnight, and give 30-milligram doses to individuals who,...

Mental health center says no more Xanax.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 19, 2011... A treatment program in Louisville, Kentucky has stopped writing prescriptions for Xanax because of concerns of overdoses, the New York Times reported last week. The program, Seven Counties Services is a community mental health center, and...

West Virginia to release substance abuse plan.(IN THE STATES)(Brief article)
September 19, 2011... The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) has been working for more than a year on its State Plan on Substance Abuse. Prepared under the direction of Victoria Jones, commissioner of the DHHR Bureau for Behavioral Health...

Coming up ...
September 19, 2011... The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) will hold the 2011 Course on the State of the Art in Addiction Medicine October 27-29 in Washington, D.C. Go to www.asam.org/SOACourse.html for more information.

In case you haven't heard....(a police and a state trooper are arrested for moving oxycodone pills)(Brief article)
September 19, 2011... Three Transportation Security Administration officers, a Westchester County police officer, and a Florida state trooper were arrested last week for conspiring to move oxycodone pills through a Westchester County Airport in New York, the Journal...

NSDUH: National Survey finds increase in marijuana use.(Survey)
September 12, 2011... Marijuana use is increasing, across the population in general, and in particular among young people, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The survey, released September 8 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health...

Center develops shorter treatments with a clinical and business case.(Treatment Program Profile)
September 12, 2011... One of the key messages hammered home in a meeting between Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services and strategic planning consultant Open Minds several years ago warned of an inevitable downward push on residential treatment stays....

Strong essential benefit package for MH, SUD services released.(substance use disorder)(mental health)
September 12, 2011... Last month the Coalition for Whole Health issued its recommendations for coverage of mental health (MH) and substance use disorder (SUD) services in an essential benefits package. The package is comprehensive and includes residential treatment....

Specialized treatment services as essential benefits.(Report)
September 12, 2011... The recommendations from the Coalition for Whole Health for an essential benefit package for SUDs and mental health include the following: 1) Outpatient Treatment * General and specialized outpatient medical services * Consultation to...

DEA bans three chemicals in 'Spice' and 'bath salts'.(Drug Enforcement Administration)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... Last week the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that it would temporarily ban three synthetic stimulants--chemicals that are sold under names such as "Spice" or "Bath Salts"--for one year while the U.S. Department of Health...

Drugged driving initiatives fostered by ONDCP.(Office of National Drug Control Policy)
September 12, 2011... The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), along with the federal Department of Transportation and other agencies, are spearheading initiatives to reduce drugged driving. The National Drug Control Strategy released by the ONDCP this...

ACLU of Florida sues to stop welfare drug tests.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida last week filed suit in federal court to halt implementation of Florida's law requiring drug tests for welfare applicants. The law requiring tests was passed in May, signed by Gov. Rick Scott on May...

Future of landmark drug court at risk.(The Davidson County Drug Court)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... The Davidson County Drug Court, headed by pioneering Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman, is now facing an uncertain future because Norman, now 80, hasn't decided whether he will run again in 2014, according to a report last week in The Tennessean....

SAMHSA grants go to SBIRT and prevention in Indiana.(IN THE STATES)(Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) is distributing almost $9 million in grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to two state programs. The first award, for more than $8.3...

Expansion planned for Hazelden adolescent center.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... The Hazelden Foundation is planning a $30 million expansion at its Plymouth, Minnesota facility for teens. Mental health as well as addiction services will be provided, according to a September 6 report in the Star Tribune. Jim Steinhagen, the...

Coming up ...
September 12, 2011... Children and Family Futures will present "Putting the Pieces Together for Children and Families: The National Conference on Substance Abuse, Child Welfare, and the Courts" on September 14-16 in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information, go...

BDSI plans NDA for buprenorphine/ naloxone film.(PHARMA NEWS)
September 12, 2011... As Reckitt Benckiser's Suboxone pill is poised to come off patent, competitor BioDelivery Sciences International (BDSI) says it is planning on filing a New Drug Application for a product that combines buprenorphine with naloxone. This would not...

September is recovery month.(RESOURCES)
September 12, 2011... Go to http://bit.ly/raVIMO to find events in your community.

In case you haven't heard ...(Report)(Brief article)
September 12, 2011... Nic Sheff's "Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamine" was taken off the summer reading list of Williamstown High School in New Jersey after two parents complained at a school board meeting about it and three other books, the Courier Post reported...

Parity implementation coalition requests federal intervention in Florida BCBS case.(Blue Cross Blue Shield)
September 5, 2011... Late last month, treatment advocates asked the federal agencies that oversee the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) to intervene in Florida, where Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSFL) has fired all its contracted...

Minn treatment center ratchets up process of analyzing outcomes.(Treatment program profile)
September 5, 2011... Staff members at Wayside House, a women's addiction treatment organization in the Minneapolis area, often have found themselves taking pride in doing things differently from other centers. It can be good to be an "outlier" if you believe you...

NASADAD inquiry finds SSA involvement in DUI/DWI programs.(National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, single state authorities, driving under the influence)
September 5, 2011... State alcohol and drug abuse directors are playing an important role in DWI/DUI treatment and prevention, according to a new report from the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD). This is the first time NASADAD...

EEOC sues company for sidelining trucker for alcohol abuse.
September 5, 2011... The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. for discriminating against at least one truck driver because of self-reported alcohol abuse, in a complaint filed Aug. 16. The trucking company...

Why we all need recovery.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
September 5, 2011... If you think we in healthcare are not in a world of major change, stop here and read no further. That would be a clinical matter, atypical denial or delusions. Turn the page. Over the past few years, change has become a constant as we scurry...

Web-based recovery support effective, says study.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
September 5, 2011... A study conducted by Hazelden's Butler Center for Research, in collaboration with the Treatment Research Institute and the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry, has found that patients discharged from residential treatment for...

NYC schools offer SBIRT.(screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment)(IN THE STATES)
September 5, 2011... Last year, the New York City health department started to bring SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) to students, using "Teen Intervene," according to the 2011 National Drug Control Strategy. Staff administers...

Multi-year contracts in future for New Jersey providers.(In the States)(Brief article)
September 5, 2011... On August 25 the New Jersey Senate unanimously passed a bill that would streamline contracting for contractors by requiring uniform contracting requirements for organizations that contract with the Department of Human Services, the Department of...

Florida welfare drug tests: 98 percent negative.(In the States)(Brief article)
September 5, 2011... Ninety-eight percent of the drug tests required by Florida for welfare recipients under a law that took effect July 1 are negative, according to preliminary results. Of the more than 1,000 applicants tested in July, 2 percent tested positive, a...

Coalition for whole health.(recommendations for a minimum benefits package for mental health and substance use disorder services)(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
September 5, 2011... On September 1, the coalition for whole health posted its recommendations for a minimum benefits package for mental health and substance use disorder services pro provided under health care reform. The recommendations include the full continuum...

Coming up ...
September 5, 2011... Children and Family Futures will present "Putting the Pieces Together for Children and Families: The National Conference on Substance Abuse, Child Welfare, and the Courts" on September 14-16 in National Harbor, Maryland. For more information, go...

In case you haven't heard ...
September 5, 2011... Justice of the Peace Robert "Bob" E. Lee drove to the courthouse in Butte, Montana last fall to perform a marriage ceremony, but became disoriented when he got there, The Associated Press reported August 31. He was taking prescription medication...