CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, the largest non-profit, outpatient provider for opioid treatment in Rhode Island, today announced that it will be presenting at two sessions during the 2019 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc. (AATOD) Conference to be held October 19 — 23, 2019 at Disney’s Coronado Spring Resort in Walt Disney World, FL. The goal of this year’s national and international conference is to educate, and promote the acceptance and integration of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) options by all stakeholders and systems affected by the opioid crisis, according to organizers. CODAC experts plan to highlight two of its most innovative programs: expansion of its nationally renowned addiction treatment behind bars initiative; and utilization of telehealth to provide MAT.
“We are thrilled to be presenting once more at this important annual meeting that brings together an unprecedented number of peers and other key decision makers interested in exploring viable solutions to our nation’s opioid epidemic,” said Linda Hurley, President/CEO of CODAC. “It is an honor to share our models, best practices and outcomes alongside some of the most cutting-edge topics and presenters in our field, nationally and internationally.”
CODAC’s presentations at AATOD 2019 will be as follows:
- Tuesday, October 22, 2019 — 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Workshop: Opioid Abuse as a Public Health Crisis and Overdose as an Epidemic
D5 – Implementing Telehealth in MAT to Better Serve Rural Areas
Primary Presenter(s): Dustin Alvanas, MBA — Vice President of Operations, CODAC
Co-Presenter(s): Christine Atkin, Program Analyst & Health Home Team Coordinator, and Mary Walton, Assistant Medical Director, CODAC
From program/schedule: CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, Rhode Island’s oldest and largest provider of Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) services, has developed a telehealth care model for immediate induction onto buprenorphine in rural and underserved areas. CODAC has established partnerships with federally qualified community health centers and EDs in rural areas to increase immediate access to and availability of care, reducing potential overdoses and mitigating stigma associated with MAT. The presentation outlines the telehealth model, program workflow, prescribing practice, and the use of technology in providing care. Participants will be provided with a transferable framework for establishing a telehealth program in their community.
- Wednesday, October 23, 2019 — 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Workshop: Community Partners & Continuum of Care
E2 – Implementing and Sustaining Enhanced MAT in Corrections: Considerations for Diversion, Recidivism and Saving Lives
Primary Presenter(s): Linda Hurley, MA CAGS, President and Chief Executive Officer, CODAC
Co-Presenter(s): Leslie Bridgman, MA, JD, LCDP, Director of Correctional Services, CODAC, and Rosemarie Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health
From program/schedule: Presentation examines an expanded treatment program for opioid use disorder (OUD) implemented at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, in collaboration with CODAC Behavioral Healthcare (contracted vendor) and Brown University. Called a model for all 50 states, this program has dramatically reduced overdose and mortality rates among newly released inmates. Impact on criminal justice concerns, along with barriers, challenges and outcomes, will be discussed from multiple perspectives. Participants will leave with information and tools needed to initiate or expand MAT for OUD in their own correctional settings.
About CODAC Behavioral Healthcare
CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, a non-profit organization founded in 1971, is Rhode Island’s oldest and largest provider of outpatient services for opioid use disorder, other substance use disorders, and concurrent behavioral health challenges. With eight locations across Rhode Island, CODAC has attained Center of Excellence designations for each of its treatment sites. CODAC has done extensive work with individuals involved in the criminal justice system since 1994 and, in 2016, launched a program with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) that was the first of its kind in the United States to screen all inmates for opioid use disorder and provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for those in need. Results from CODAC’s RIDOC program have been studied and published, and the program has been recognized as “a model for all 50 states” by the Department of Justice, SAMHSA and multiple other national agencies. In addition, CODAC is now licensed in Massachusetts to operate an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). For more information about CODAC, visit: http://www.codacinc.org
About AATOD 2019
The 2019 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, Inc. (AATOD) Conference theme, “Out of the Shadows: Managing the Opioid Epidemic through the Continuum of Care,” highlights the issues and challenges of medication assisted treatment (MAT) in the context of the current opioid use/abuse epidemic, per organizers. The intent is to educate and promote acceptance and integration of MAT options by patients, families, clinicians, the medical system, judicial systems, government, policy makers, social service administrations, and the general public. For more information, visit https://www.eventscribe.com/2019/AATOD
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