The National Methadone Conference

American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence
Washington, D.C. ~ April 13-16, 2003


Pre Conference Session 8:30 AM – 5:45 PM
April 12, 2003

Sharon Dow, MS
Joint Commission
Washington, DC
Joanne Page, MSW
Council On Accreditation
New York, NY
Walter Ginter
NAMA
Westport, CT
J. Thomas Payte, MD
Drug Dependence Associates
San Antonio, TX
Bettye Harrison, MSW, LISW
CARF Accreditation
Tucson, AZ
C. Todd Rosendale, MA
CSAT/Division of Pharmacologic Therapies
Rockville, MD
Herman Joseph, PhD
New York State Office of
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
New York, NY
Joycelyn Sue Woods, MA
NAMA
New York, NY

NAMA would also like to thank our Faces of Advocacy: Alice Diorio, New England Alliance of Methadone Advocates; Robert Lubran, CSAT; Ira Marion, AECOM; Carmen Pearman, The MAG of Indiana; Valerie Robinson, DANYA; Rick Samson, FAVOR; Paul Samuels, Legal Action.

It is NAMA’s view that everyone who believes in methadone treatment is a potential methadone advocate. We encourage all supporters of methadone treatment, patient and non-patient, to become Certified Methadone Advocates (CMA) so that all energies directed toward the advancement of methadone treatment produce positive results.

This course fulfills the training requirement for certification as a Methadone Advocate. It is designed for non-clinicians, and involved eight hours of rigorous training. The course equips participants with the tools that they will need to succeed in the struggle to have methadone maintenance treatment universally accepted as the “gold standard” for addiction treatment.

With these goals in mind the course presentation is as follows:

  1. Addiction and Methadone – scientifically accurate yet in language understandable to the non-clinician.
  2. Regulations and Accreditation – explained by experts from CARF, COA and JCAHO who understand the systemic complexities.
  3. Faces of Advocacy – support for methadone treatment finds its source in both anticipated and unanticipated places in the community.
  4. The Certified Methadone Advocate (CMA) – the mechanism of certification and how it will professionalize those committed to advocacy.
  5. Methadone Stigma – a history of administrative and community prejudice directed at methadone patients, and analyses of possible solutions.

Candidates for certification must register with NAMA prior to the conference so that their Handbook may include information specific to their state.

Getting The Most From a Conference1
Jo. L. Sotheran, Ph.D.
National Alliance of Methadone Advocates

A short presentation on getting the most out of a conference, how to plan your time and networking skills. (powerpoint)

NAMA would like to thank Robert Kovacik— for donating his skills and materials to videotape the day’s training.

Photo Album of the CMA Training

Notes

1. This is a PowerPoint presentation.

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