AATOD Conference Commercial

“Our nation continues to face the deadly public health challenge of opioid use disorder, especially driven by fentanyl, which accounts for more than 65% of reported mortality rates,” said Mark Parrino, M.P.A., President of AATOD.

BALTIMORE (PRWEB)
October 13, 2022

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) is convening its major Conference in Baltimore, Maryland at the Baltimore Hilton Inner Harbor, October 30 – November 3, 2022. This conference will feature numerous sessions — preconference, workshop, plenary and poster — on a municipal, state, national and international level, focusing on current and changing policy and new clinical findings with regard to the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). More than 1,200 treatment providers and opioid addiction policy officials from every state in the country will focus on solutions for dealing with the soaring public health epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States, including its intersection with the Coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. recently passed the benchmark of 100,000 deaths over a 12-month period from accidental drug overdose (OD). This opioid epidemic began with prescription opioid misuse, which morphed into heroin use and, at present, to increased fentanyl use. Our country has also entered an era of increased stimulant use, particularly with methamphetamine. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about several temporary changes to the way medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for OUD, including methadone administration, is provided to patients through our nation’s opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Currently there is widespread discussion and controversy about what changes should be made permanent and what other changes should be considered.

The hosts of the 2022 meeting, “The Power of Collaboration,” are the Opioid Treatment Providers of Maryland and the Maryland Department of Health — Behavioral Health Administration. The meeting will have an opening from Rahul Gupta, MD, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and will conclude with a presentation from Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

“Our nation continues to face the deadly public health challenge of opioid use disorder, especially driven by fentanyl, which accounts for more than 65% of reported mortality rates,” said Mark Parrino, M.P.A., President of AATOD. “We are increasing access to opioid treatment programs throughout the United States in addition to increasing the use of mobile treatment vans and brick and mortar medication units. It is important to draw upon evidence when increasing access to good quality and well-coordinated care and these will be featured topics during our Conference. We also need to develop a public education campaign about opioid use disorder and its effective treatment.”

The AATOD Conference is the largest gathering of the opioid treatment community. This conference comes at a critical time for the U.S. and Baltimore, in particular, which is home to one of the first OTPs in the country, Man Alive/Lane Treatment Center, and has expanded its treatment network to nearly 40 OTPs over the past 50 years as the need for effective OUD treatment has grown. This includes a mix of freestanding, hospital and justice-based facilities, as well as for- and not-for-profit programs. During the proceedings, the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, of which AATOD is a member, will also convene a major meeting on Monday, October 31, 2022.

“Now more than ever, with highly potent opioids on the streets, and with increasing social and mental health problems in part stemming from the COVID pandemic and economic struggles, people with opioid use disorder need comprehensive treatment to fully recover,” said Kenneth B. Stoller, MD, DLFAPA, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Conference Chair. “This requires a collaborative approach. The gathering in Baltimore, a stone’s throw from our federal oversight partners, is an opportunity for treatment providers, related fields such as social services and criminal justice, and policymakers, to learn together and forge productive connections.”

“Maryland Department of Health is committed to increasing access to evidence-based harm reduction and treatment practices, including the use of effective medications, to help address the opioid crisis,” said Kathleen Rebbert-Franklin, Director of Service Access and Practice Innovation for the Maryland Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration. “This conference offers providers from many service settings the most current research and treatment information that will further enhance their practices and improve care in Maryland.”

Featured speakers will include:

· Tuesday, November 1 — Robin E. Rickard, JD, Executive Director, Opioid Operational Command Center, Crownsville, MD; Mark W. Parrino, MPA, President, AATOD; Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Moderated by Kenneth B. Stoller, MD, DLFAPA, Director, Johns Hopkins Broadway Center for Addiction; Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

· Wednesday, November 2 — Kathleen Rebbert-Franklin, LCSW-C, Director, Service Access and Practice Innovation, Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration, Catonsville, MD; Babak Imanoel, DO, Medical Director, Northern Parkway Treatment Services, Baltimore, MD; Gregory Branch, MD, MBA, CPE, Health Officer and Director, Baltimore, MD. Moderated by Vickie Walters, LCSW-C, Executive Director, Institutes for Behavior Resources, Inc, Baltimore, MD.

· Thursday, November 3 — Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Moderated by Mark Parrino/AATOD.

An advance copy of the full conference program, which will be made available to attendees onsite, can be found here: https://www.eventscribe.net/2022/AATOD/agenda.asp?pfp=FullSchedule Conference hashtag: #aatod2022

About AATOD

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) was founded in 1984 to enhance the quality of patient care in treatment programs by promoting the growth and development of comprehensive opioid treatment services throughout the United States. AATOD represents more than 1,200 Opioid Treatment Programs in the United States. AATOD has thirty state chapters and is also a founding partner in the development of the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, which represents another 600 treatment programs throughout Europe. The World Federation has special consultative status with the United Nations. Accordingly, AATOD actively works with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other agencies in order to provide access to opioid addiction treatment wherever it is needed in the world. For more information visit http://www.aatod.org. Find AATOD on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @aatod1984.

Contact:

Mark W. Parrino, M.P.A

President, AATOD

212.566.5555, x200

Mark.Parrino@aatod.org

Bill Gordon

PR/Media Relations

646-924-6146

Billgordon37@hotmail.com