D5 - Looking Ahead to No Stigma: Better Access, Better Integration of Methadone

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

3:15 PM – 4:45 PM PST

Location: Celebrity 1-4

CE: 1.5

Primary Presenter(s)

Patricia Lincourt, LCSW (she/her/hers)

Associate Commissioner of Adult Treatment and Recovery
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports
Albany, New York

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Co-Presenter(s)

Lesley Puryear, LMSW (she/her/hers)

New York State Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) and Director, Bureau of Opioid Treatment
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)
Great Neck, New York
JR

Jason Rubinfeld, LMSW, CASAS-MC (he/him/his)

Assistant Director, Bureau of Adult Treatment
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
Stamford, Connecticut

Presentation Summary: As overdose deaths continue to increase nationally, expanding effective overdose prevention interventions is an urgent priority. Methadone as a treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) reduces overdose deaths by more than 50% and improves other important clinical and social outcomes. For decades, methadone treatment for OUD has been tightly regulated, typically requiring patients to visit opioid treatment programs (OTPs) nearly daily. This workshop discusses how New York State (NYS) leveraged the changes in federal methadone regulations by developing a set of linked strategies to broaden methadone service touchpoints, to reduce stigma, and to support recovery for New Yorkers with OUD.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, participants will:

Identify the strategies for a more modern approach to treatment for opioid use disorder
Understand how isolating methadone from other treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD) increases stigma
Identify how integrating methadone into a broader range of settings will support greater access to a full range of options for care