Since March, when the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) relaxed rules for methadone take-homes to decrease exposure to the coronavirus, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) have been exercising this unprecedented freedom. Specifically, SAMHSA said March 16 that all states with declared states of emergency may request blanket exemption (from SAMHSA) for all stable...Continue Reading

When New York State closed all essential businesses in late March, it left millions of people with questions about how to get medication without putting themselves at risk for COVID 19. That includes the nearly 30,000 people who receive methadone to treat opioid addiction across New York City, 15,000 of whom will have to isolate...Continue Reading

South Salem, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and more than a dozen behavioral health professionals and advocates met via a virtual conference yesterday to discuss the serious challenges that Substance Use Disorder treatment programs are facing while the novel coronavirus pandemic continues.Continue Reading

For the 30,000 patients who take methadone every day for opioid use disorder in New York City, one big worry was potentially taken away this week. If they are not able to get to their opioid treatment program (OTPs, commonly known as methadone clinics) because they are quarantining with COVID-19 or symptoms of it, they...Continue Reading

When COVID-19 hit the U.S., public health professionals were already busy battling another epidemic – the drug crisis in this country. President Trump announced Wednesday that the nation will launch enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere to prevent drug cartels from exploiting the coronavirus pandemic.Continue Reading

Deaths from drug overdoses are likely to increase during the coronavirus outbreak because of disruption to recovery routines and access to treatment, according to counselors and people whose rehabilitation depends on daily care.Continue Reading

There are about 30,000 methadone patients in New York City, all taking methadone on a daily basis for opioid use disorder. About 15,000 of them are going to be isolated because of suspected exposure to or contracting of coronavirus, according to a New York City Department of Health estimate given to the top private-sector opioid...Continue Reading

How should potential settlement money from the country’s opioid manufacturers be spent to combat the opioid crisis? Allegra Schorr, President of the Coalition of Medication Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates, discussed the impacts a settlement can have.Continue Reading

(Albany, NY) The Senate Majority today advanced bills to combat substance misuse and protect New York communities from the scourge of opioid addiction. Additionally, the Senate Majority released a report generated by the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction & Overdose Prevention. The Task Force was charged with holding hearings, visiting treatment sites, and...Continue Reading