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Drug treatment program switches focus to retention
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“We are really focusing on getting as many people to the point where we can transfer them into primary care,” said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
The Baltimore Buprenorphine Initiative has treated 1,159 patients since October 2006, according to the program’s second report provided to The Examiner.
Buprenorphine has been touted as a safe and effective treatment for opiate addiction.
SInce July 2007, officials have reached out to target groups such as commercial sex workers, HIV-infected patients and patients with mental disorders.
Patients initially selected for treatment were highly motivated, Sharfstein said, but now some of them don’t intend to stay on buprenorphine. The benchmark is to have 65 percent of patients stay in treatment for 90 days, but over the past year, that rate has dropped to 52 percent, the report states.
Longer stays in treatment means a better outcome, but “there are many drug addicted individuals who prefer a shorter time-limited treatment,” the report states.
The program also aims to transfer people to continuing care within 90 to 120 days, but the average time is 163 days, the report states.
Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc., which runs the program, has hired a consultant to guide clinical care and develop an educational and training plan, the report said.
Addiction treatment specialist Michael Gimbel said buprenorphine treatment should include comprehensive services such as counseling and employment outreach.
Dr. Michael Hayes, an addiction treatment specialist who treats about 55 patients with buprenorphine, commended the initiative but cautioned against placing high expectations on the drug’s long-term benefits.
“We don’t have a lot of experience with it,” he said.
“Let’s not fool ourselves here that there is an easy cure to opiate addiction, because there’s not.”
smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com
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9:46 PM MST on Fri., Jun. 27, 2008 re: "Drug treatment program switches focus to retention"
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Gina said:
I am on this and it is WONDERFUL! LOVE IT! A life saver! I plan to be on it for at least 18 months. I see a private doctor and also go to a suboxone "group" twice a month. I used to take 30-35 10mg Lortab a DAY. I cannot tell you how great I feel now. I am on 12mg a day. It costs me a total of 500.00 a month for this program(doctor, med, etc). No insurance, worth every penny!
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NancyB said:
Heroin and painkiller addiction help. The naabt.org Patient/Physician Matching System has connected over 11,210 patients with at least one of 1,990 participating buprenorphine-prescribing physicians since 9/06. The naabtList.org free online service lets patients reach out for help 24/7 with complete privacy. Buprenorphine (brandname Suboxone) is a medication, combined with psychosocial therapy, which treats the medical condition of opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician’s office. FDA approved in 2002, this treatment has improved quality of life for patients and provided dignity to opiate addiction treatment. More information: naabt.org
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Examiner Reader said:
This makes perfect sense. Finally we are treating addiction like the chronic disease we know it is. Addiction alters the brain and it takes time to fix this. No 3 day detoxes will do it (as the science proves)we need to undo these brain changes so treatment isn't a revolving door for patients. Good article!
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Examiner Reader said:
This resident clearly hasn't seen the corners of every street filled with teenagers waiting for school buses every morning. There is smoking, swearing, and disposal of empty bottles and food in the most affluent of neighborhoods in MC. It is commendable that parents are supervising their children walking to schools, in light of the many children who disappear into cars with pedophiles, who, by the way, also live in the most affluent areas of their neighborhoods. Parents concerns should be focused on prevention of addiction and drug abuse by at least locking up their personal alcohol collections and prescription drugs, since the schools have been inundated with minors bringing these controlled substances into the schools and distributing them. Addiction and drug abuse does not "fit in" to any neighborhood, but it is prevalent and increasing at an alarming rate due to the residents burying their heads in the sand and keeping them there.
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