The peer facilitated Medication Assisted Recovery Services Project (MARS) is a collaboration between the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), Division of Substance Abuse (DoSA). MARS is located in the Bronx, NY and will provide peer recovery support services to patients at AECOM’s Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs….

The intent of Bottle Recall initially was to be able to allow patients take home medication and to insure that methadone is not diverted to the streets. However, methadone programs have been giving patients take home medication for years without a serious methadone diversion problem. Furthermore numerous studies have demonstrated that methadone is not a…

Basic Pharmacology:  How Methadone Works Part 2 Basic Opioid Pharmacology All natural and synthetic opioids exhibit a three dimensional T-shaped configuration (Barchas, Berger, Ciaranello and Elliott, 1977). This T-shaped molecule has two broad hydrophobic surfaces which are at right angles and a methylated nitrogen which is usually charged at physiological pH. The charged nitrogen is…

Is Your Program Punitive? Fill Out a Grievance Report — It’s Time To Educate Them! Does Your Program Treat Patients With Dignity? Fill Out a Compliment Report — Let Them Know They are Appreciated! The Grievance Report Project is an ongoing project used to educate the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) community about quality treatment. Programs…

The bias and misunderstandings about methadone as a medication often result in methadone patients being refused medical care (Umbricht-Schneiter, 1994; Zweben and Sorensen, 1988). Another common scenario is that their medication is used to coerce or manipulate methadone patients into medical treatment (Blansfield, 1992). In other areas of medicine such actions would be considered unethical…