The COMPA Bulletin
Volume I, Issue 7 November 8, 2001
Contents:
Commissioner Miller Secures Disaster Funds
Recognizing the needs of our clients and the important role that should be played by the state’s substance abuse providers, OASAS Commissioner Jean Miller strongly advocated for the field and announced at the recent ASAP Conference in Saratoga Springs that CSAT and CSAP had awarded the state $1.85 million dollars in initial disaster relief funds for substance abuse and alcoholism services. The $1 million from CSAT will be used to expand the state’s substance abuse hotline, assist the Central Labor Council in providing critical incident debriefing for union members, and providing trauma training for staff. CSAP provided an additional $850,000 which will be used for EAP services for the prevention system, community education, and school based program expenses. Commissioner Miller also stated that OASAS has requested another $30 million for items such as staff overtime and program losses, training, outreach and a community media campaign. Speaking of other OASAS initiatives, Commissioner Miller also made note of the OASAS Hope and Recovery campaign.
Hope and Recovery: Recognizing and Responding to Trauma and Stress
Traumatic events have profound effects--not only on those who have been injured, but also on loved ones, survivors and witnesses. In addition, extensive media coverage of tragedies means that the circle of witnesses has expanded to include those who were not present at the event, but who feel as if they are experiencing it first hand. Given the horrible, tragic events that we all witnessed on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, it is important to realize that various feelings and emotions are normal responses to very abnormal events. It is also important that people reach out to each other for support during this time of tragedy.
People who work in the Human Services field are often in work situations where they must continue taking care of others, even when they have been personally affected by a traumatic event. In addition, they often find it difficult to ask for support because they are the caretakers and often feel they should be strong for the people they serve.
Staff who work with people in recovery are always aware of factors in their client's lives that may affect their quality of life. During this time, this added stress may compromise a client's program of recovery, especially in the early stages of recovery. Therefore, being aware of some of the signs and symptoms of traumatic stress and intervening early to talk about coping mechanisms, may help to alleviate the stress and reduce the incidents of relapse. Prevention and treatment providers can encourage clients to talk about their feelings related to this tragedy in their support group meetings.
In addition, and as important, staff must also be honest about their own feelings, emotions and stress levels and reach out for supportive interventions for the work place. Providing support to your peers and forming supportive networks in the work place often helps caregivers. If you have access to an Employee Assistance Program, you may call and ask for critical incident debriefings for you and your peers. If you do not have an EAP available, you may call the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing NYS Network at 1-800-925-0956. There are regional teams located throughout New York State who can respond locally. New York State OASAS staff have access to a local Employee Assistance Program Coordinator and a New York State EAP Representative. If you do not know your local Coordinator or State Representative, you may call the NYS EAP Main Office at 1-800-822-0244.
Each individual processes trauma in a different way based on a variety of factors, including age, degree of family and social support, culture, religion, etc. To assist with understanding the dynamics of trauma and responding appropriately, the following resource information has been developed by OASAS under their Hope and Recovery initiative. Copies of these materials may be obtained from OASAS by calling 518-485-1768, or by email to communications@oasas.state.ny.us. Materials may also be obtained from the OASAS web site, www.oasas.state.ny.us.
Things to Remember About Trauma
Common Symptoms After A Traumatic Event
After experiencing a traumatic event, it is very common, in fact quite normal, for people to experience a wide range of emotional or physical reactions. These responses may appear immediately after the event or some time later. They may last for a few days, a few weeks, or even longer. Don't worry--these are normal reactions to an abnormal situation. It's important to understand that, like the symptoms of the flu, your reactions to trauma will run their course and you will feel better in time.
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The following are some of the most common symptoms |
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Feelings
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Behaviors
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Thoughts
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Physical
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Trauma-Related Stress: Some Warning Signs
People who have experienced a traumatic event often suffer psychological stress related to the incident. Generally, these are normal reactions to the traumatic event. Individuals who feel they are unable to regain control of their lives, or who experience the following symptoms for more than a month, should consider seeking professional assistance.
Young People and Trauma
Young people exposed to trauma such as violence, death, accidents, or disasters are likely to show signs of stress. Young people are likely to exhibit some of the following symptoms. If symptoms do not decrease in severity after a few weeks you are encouraged to seek professional assistance.
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Common Reaction of Young Children and Pre-adolescents |
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Warning Signs: When to Seek Professional Help |
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Parents and caregivers can help |
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Adolescents and Trauma
Adolescents exposed to trauma such as violence, death, accidents, or disasters are likely to show signs of stress. Adolescents are likely to exhibit some of the following symptoms. If symptoms do not decrease in severity after a few weeks you are encouraged to seek professional assistance.
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Common Adolescent Reactions |
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Warning Signs: When to Seek Professional Help |
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Parents and caregivers can help |
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Grief and Loss
Grieving is a healthy healing process, not a sign of weakness. The best way to confront loss is to recognize it, understand the feelings and get support. Here are some things to expect in the stages of grieving.
Denial
Anger and Guilt
Sadness and Despair
Aftermath
What You Can Do For Yourself.
When you've experienced a trauma, it can be a shock to your whole system. The following are some ideas to help you cope with any physical or emotional symptoms you may be experiencing.
What You Can Do
Take care of yourself first; then you can help others.
Studies Link Stress and Drug Addiction
From NIDA NOTES by Steven Stocker, NIDA NOTES Contributing Writer
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Drug-addicted patients who are trying to remain off drugs can often resist the cravings brought on by seeing reminders of their former drug life, NIDA-funded researcher Dr. Mary Jeanne Kreek of Rockefeller University in New York City has noted. "For 6 months or so, they can walk past the street corner where they used to buy drugs and not succumb to their urges. But then all of a sudden they relapse," she says. "When we ask them why they relapse, almost always they tell us something like, 'Well, things weren't going well at my job,' or 'My wife left me.' Sometimes, the problem is as small as 'My public assistance check was delayed,' or 'The traffic was too heavy.'" Anecdotes such as these are common in the drug abuse treatment community. These anecdotes plus animal studies on this subject point toward an important role for stress in drug abuse relapse. In addition, the fact that addicts often relapse apparently in response to what most people would consider mild stressors suggests that addicts may be more sensitive than nonaddicts to stress. This hypersensitivity may exist before drug abusers start taking drugs and may contribute to their initial drug use, or it could result from the effects of chronic drug abuse on the brain, or its existence could be due to a combination of both, Dr. Kreek has proposed. She has demonstrated that the nervous system of an addict is hypersensitive to chemically induced stress, which suggests that the nervous system also may be hypersensitive to emotional stress. How the Body Copes With Stress
The body reacts to stress by secreting two types of chemical messengers - hormones in the blood and neurotransmitters in the brain. Scientists think that some of the neurotransmitters may be the same or similar chemicals as the hormones but acting in a different capacity. Some of the hormones travel throughout the body, altering the metabolism of food so that the brain and muscles have sufficient stores of metabolic fuel for activities, such as fighting or fleeing, that help the person cope with the source of the stress. In the brain, the neurotransmitters trigger emotions, such as aggression or anxiety, that prompt the person to undertake those activities. Normally, stress hormones are released in small amounts throughout the day, but when the body is under stress the level of these hormones increases dramatically. The release of stress hormones begins in the brain. First, a hormone called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is released from the brain into the blood, which carries the CRF to the pituitary gland, located directly underneath the brain. There, CRF stimulates the release of another hormone, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), which, in turn, triggers the release of other hormones - principally cortisol - from the adrenal glands. Cortisol travels throughout the body, helping it to cope with stress. If the stressor is mild, when the cortisol reaches the brain and pituitary gland it inhibits the further release of CRF and ACTH, which return to their normal levels. But if the stressor is intense, signals in the brain for more CRF release outweigh the inhibitory signal from cortisol, and the stress hormone cycle continues. Researchers speculate that CRF and ACTH may be among the chemicals that serve dual purposes as hormones and neurotransmitters. The researchers posit that if, indeed, these chemicals also act as neurotransmitters, they may be involved in producing the emotional responses to stress. The stress hormone cycle is controlled by a number of stimulatory chemicals in addition to CRF and ACTH and inhibitory chemicals in addition to cortisol both in the brain and in the blood. Among the chemicals that inhibit the cycle are neurotransmitters called opioid peptides, which are chemically similar to opiate drugs such as heroin and morphine. Dr. Kreek has found evidence that opioid peptides also may inhibit the release of CRF and other stress-related neurotransmitters in the brain, thereby inhibiting stressful emotions. How Addiction Changes the Body's Response to Stress
Heroin and morphine inhibit the stress hormone cycle and presumably the release of stress-related neurotransmitters just as the natural opioid peptides do. Thus, when people take heroin or morphine, the drugs add to the inhibition already being provided by the opioid peptides. This may be a major reason that some people start taking heroin or morphine in the first place, suggests Dr. Kreek. "Every one of us has things in life that really bother us," she says. "Most people are able to cope with these hassles, but some people find it very difficult to do so. In trying opiate drugs for the first time, some people who have difficulty coping with stressful emotions might find that these drugs blunt those emotions, an effect that they might find rewarding. This could be a major factor in their continued use of these drugs." When the effects of opiate drugs wear off, the addict goes into withdrawal. Research has shown that, during withdrawal, the level of stress hormones rises in the blood and stress-related neurotransmitters are released in the brain. These chemicals trigger emotions that the addict perceives as highly unpleasant, which drive the addict to take more opiate drugs. Because the effects of heroin or morphine last only 4 to 6 hours, opiate addicts often experience withdrawal three or four times a day. This constant switching on and off of the stress systems of the body heightens whatever hypersensitivity these systems may have had before the person started taking drugs, Dr. Kreek says. "The result is that these stress chemicals are on a sort of hair-trigger release. They surge at the slightest provocation," she says. Studies have suggested that cocaine similarly heightens the body's sensitivity to stress, although in a different way. When a cocaine addict takes cocaine, the stress systems are activated, much like when an opiate addict goes into withdrawal, but the person perceives this as part of the cocaine rush because cocaine is also stimulating the parts of the brain that are involved in feeling pleasure. When cocaine's effects wear off and the addict goes into withdrawal, the stress systems are again activated - again, much like when an opiate addict goes into withdrawal. This time, the cocaine addict perceives the activation as unpleasant because the cocaine is no longer stimulating the pleasure circuits in the brain. Because cocaine switches on the stress systems both when it is active and during withdrawal, these systems rapidly become hypersensitive, Dr. Kreek theorizes. Evidence for the Link Between Stress and Addiction
This theory about stress and drug addiction is derived in part from studies conducted by Dr. Kreek's group in which addicts were given a test agent called metyrapone. This chemical blocks the production of cortisol in the adrenal glands, which lowers the level of cortisol in the blood. As a result, cortisol is no longer inhibiting the release of CRF from the brain and ACTH from the pituitary. The brain and pituitary then start producing more of these chemicals. Physicians use metyrapone to test whether a person's stress system is operating normally. When metyrapone is given to nonaddicted people, the ACTH level in the blood increases. However, when Dr. Kreek and her colleagues administered metyrapone to active heroin addicts, the ACTH level hardly rose at all. When the scientists gave metyrapone to heroin addicts who were abstaining from heroin use and who were not taking methadone, the synthetic opioid medication that suppresses cravings for opiate drugs, the ACTH level in the majority of the addicts increased about twice as high as in nonaddicts. Finally, when the scientists gave metyrapone to heroin addicts maintained for at least 3 months on methadone, the ACTH level rose the same as in nonaddicts. Addicts on heroin underreact because all the excess opioid molecules in the brain greatly inhibit the brain's stress system, Dr. Kreek explains. Addicts who are heroin-free and methadone-free overreact because the constant on-off of daily heroin use has made the stress system hypersensitive, she says, and heroin addicts who are on methadone react normally because methadone stabilizes this stress system. Methadone acts at the same sites in the brain as heroin, but methadone stays active for about 24 hours while the effects of heroin are felt for only 4 to 6 hours. Because methadone is long-acting, the heroin addict is no longer going into withdrawal three or four times a day. Without the constant activation involved in these withdrawals, the brain's stress system normalizes. Recently, Dr. Kreek's group reported that a majority of cocaine addicts who are abstaining from cocaine use overreact in the metyrapone test, just like the heroin addicts who are abstaining from heroin and not taking methadone. As with heroin addicts, this overreaction in cocaine addicts reflects hypersensitivity of the stress system caused by chronic cocaine abuse. "We think that addicts may react to emotional stress in the same way that their stress hormone system reacts to the metyrapone test," says Dr. Kreek. At the slightest provocation, CRF and other stress-related neurotransmitters pour out into the brain, producing unpleasant emotions that make the addict want to take drugs again, she suggests. Since life is filled with little provocations, addicts in withdrawal are constantly having their stress system activated, she concludes. Sources Kreek, M.J., and Koob, G.F. Drug dependence: Stress and dysregulation of brain reward pathways. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 51:23-47, 1998. Kreek, M.J., et al. ACTH, cortisol, and b-endorphin response to metyrapone testing during chronic methadone maintenance treatment in humans. Neuropeptides 5:277-278, 1984. Schluger, J.H., et al. Abnormal metyrapone tests during cocaine abstinence. In: L.S. Harris, ed. Problems of Drug Dependence, 1997: Proceedings of the 59th Annual Scientific Meeting, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Inc. NIDA Research Monograph Series, Number 178. NIH Publication No. 98-4305. Pittsburgh, PA: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 105, 1998. Schluger, J.H., et al. Nalmefene causes greater hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation than naloxone in normal volunteers: Implications for the treatment of alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 22(7):1430-1436, 1998. |
Disaster Assistance Resources
Disaster Assistance Centers
Disaster assistance is available for those who lost someone in the World Trade Disaster and those who have been affected at the NYC Family Assistance Center, located at Pier 94, at 54th Street and 12th Avenue. The Center is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Additionally, disaster assistance is available for those living or employed in Lower Manhattan who were affected by the WTC disaster at the FEMA Disaster Assistance Center located at 141 Worth Street. Hours currently are Monday - Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. On Saturdays, the Center will be open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
The Family Assistance Center Hotline is 646-710-6245
Governor George E. Pataki and Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani have created the Twin Towers Job Centers to help those displaced or unemployed as a result of the World Trade Center tragedy find temporary or permanent jobs and other benefits. These centers provide job search and employment services: access to phone lines, fax machine, Internet access, resume preparation, and connections to available jobs through job banks.
The centers are at the following locations:
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Twin Towers Job Center - Queens |
Twin Towers Job Center - Lower Manhattan |
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Twin Towers Job Center - Midtown Manhattan |
Twin Towers Job Center - Brooklyn |
1-800-LIFENET
The Department of Mental Health, working with the Mental Health Association, has established a 24 hours per day/7 days per week mental health counseling, information and referral line in English, Spanish, and in Chinese to assist those who are experiencing emotional distress in the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster.
For English Speakers (212) 995 5824
For Spanish Speakers (212) 533 7007
For Chinese Speakers (212) 254 2731
OASAS Substance Abuse Hotline
The OASAS funded information and referral line (1-800-522-5353) is now available from 8 am to 10 pm seven days a week. Callers from outside New York State should contact the Educational Alliance at 212-982-8130. The operators are skilled in providing information and referrals.
Highlights of the 2000 National Household Survey
This report provides the first information obtained in the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), a project of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Since 1971, the NHSDA has been the primary source of information on the prevalence and incidence of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in the civilian population aged 12 years and older.
Over the years improvements have been made to the Survey to provide better and more complete information on issues associated with substance abuse. In 1999, significant changes were made in the size of the survey, the sample design, and the method of administration. The sample size was expanded almost fourfold; data are now based on information obtained from approximately 70,000 persons per year. A new sample design was introduced which supports both national and state level estimates. A new, interactive, bilingual, computer-based questionnaire replaced the paper and pencil questionnaires used previously. These changes improved the accuracy of the estimates and the utility of the data. At the same time, the changes limit the comparisons that can be made with information obtained from surveys prior to 1999. Therefore, the report focuses only on recent trends, from 1999 to 2000.
This report provides national estimates of rates of use, number of users, initiation of use, and other measures related to use of illicit drugs, licit drugs that are used for non-medical purposes, alcohol, cigarettes, and other forms of tobacco by the population aged 12 years and older in 1999 and 2000. State-level estimates will be provided in a later report. Selected findings are given below:
Illicit Drug Use
Alcohol Use
Tobacco Use
Trends In Initiation of Substance Use
Estimates of substance use incidence, or initiation (i.e., number of new users during a given year), provide another measure of the Nation's substance use problem. They can suggest emerging patterns of use, particularly among young people. In the past, increases and decreases in incidence have usually been followed by corresponding changes in the prevalence of use, particularly among youths.
The incidence estimates in this report are based on combined 1999 and 2000 CAI data and should not be compared to previously published data based on PAPI data. Not only is the mode of data collection different for the incidence estimates prior to the 1999 NHSDA, but the estimation methodology has been revised as well.
The incidence estimates are based on the NHSDA questions on age at first use, year and month of first use for recent initiates, the respondent's date of birth, and the interview date. Using this information along with editing and imputation when necessary, an exact date of first use is determined for each substance used by each respondent. For age-specific incidence rates, the period of exposure was defined for each respondent and age group for the time that the respondent was in the age group during the calendar year. Incidents of first use were also classified by year of occurrence and age at the date of first use. By applying sample weights to incidents of first use, estimates of the number of new users of each substance for each year were made. These estimates include new users at any age (including ages under 12) and are also shown for two specific age groups (12 to 17 and 18 to 25). In addition, the average age of new users in each year and age-specific rates of first use were estimated. These rates are presented in this report as the number of new users per 1,000 potential new users, since they indicate the rate of new use among persons who have not yet used the substance (i.e., potential new users). More precisely, the rates are actually the number of new users per 1,000 person-years of exposure. The numerator of each rate is the number of persons in the age group who first used the substance in the year, while the denominator is the person-time exposure measured in thousands of years. Each person's exposure time ends on the date of first use. For age-specific estimates, exposure is limited to time during the year that the person was in the age group. Persons who first used the substance in a prior year have zero exposure to first use in the current year, and persons who still have never used the substance by the end of the current year had one full year of exposure to risk.
The incidence estimates are based on retrospective reports of age at first substance use by survey respondents interviewed during 1999 and 2000, and may therefore be subject to several biases, including bias due to differential mortality of users and nonusers of each substance, bias due to memory errors (recall decay and telescoping), and underreporting bias due to social acceptability and fear of disclosure. Some tentative analysis of this problem is discussed in Appendix B. A more thorough analysis of the problem using the data from 1999 to 2001 will be conducted next year.
Because the incidence estimates are based on retrospective reports of age at first use, the most recent year available for these estimates is 1999, based on the 2000 NHSDA. Estimates for the year 1999 are based only on data from the 2000 survey, while estimates for earlier years are based on the combined 1999 and 2000 data. For two of the measures, first alcohol use and first cigarette use, initiation before age 12 is common. A two-year lag in reporting of estimates is applied for these measures, because the NHSDA sample does not cover youths under age 12. The two-year lag insures that initiation at age 10 and 11 is captured in the estimation.
Marijuana
Cocaine
Heroin
Hallucinogens
Inhalants
Psychotherapeutics
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Smokeless Tobacco
Cigars
Afghanistan Heroin
Heroin Users in Europe Don't See Price Drop
From the New York Times, October 24, 2001, By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
PARIS, Oct. 23 — The price of Afghan heroin has dropped, but police
departments across Europe say that is unlikely to affect street prices
much and has not done so to date.
British police intelligence sources said the price at the Afghanistan- Pakistan border had dropped since Sept. 11 to $200 a kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, from $400. Europe gets the bulk of its heroin from Afghanistan while American dealers buy from Colombia, Mexico and Southeast Asia as well.
A spokesman for the British National Criminal Intelligence Service noted that the border price for heroin was $100 a kilo until July 2000 when the Taliban banned the cultivation of opium poppies. The price then shot up to $400.
Heroin base takes a year to 18 months to work its way through the middlemen and laboratories where it is purified and then diluted, packaged in small doses and sold by street dealers. Even then there is little sign that a change in base price has much affect on street sales.
The wholesale price in England is $15,000 to $20,000 a kilogram, "so the base price isn't that big a component," the British police representative said. "It's the Turkish gangs who control the supply routes that affect the price most."
As long as there is no competition, he said, the traffickers are more likely to rachet the price up.
Michel Bouchet, head of the French Interior Ministry's antidrug squad, predicted "a measurable fall, but not an important one" in the price of heroin in France as a result of the fighting in Afghanistan. Both the Taliban and their opponents in the Northern Alliance are assumed to be selling off stockpiles to raise cash for guns, he said. Neither he nor any other European police official could confirm those reports.
The price of a gram of heroin in France is $28 to $42, he said, and has been stable for two or three years. A kilogram is about $11,000.
In Britain, heroin is about $100 a gram on the street, down only 20 percent or so from its $120 price in 1993, when the national record-keeping began. Yet during that period, wholesale prices per kilo fell by more than half, to $20,000 or less from $40,000 or more. The police assume that the rapid expansion of the Afghan opium crops from 1997 to 2000 cut the wholesale price, but street dealers gouged their customers by not passing on the reduction.
A spokesman for the Berlin police declined to give prices for heroin there, but said there had been "no change in the last few weeks and no change in the amount of drugs on the market."
In the Netherlands, the price of a gram has remained steady at $75, said Rob van der Veen, an Amsterdam police spokesman. "There are no rumors that the price is affected by what's happening in Afghanistan," he said. "It's like oil — it takes a while for the price to change."
In Sweden, which has more drug users than other Scandinavian countries, the price of a gram has remained steady at $80 since the 1980's, said Lars Bjurlinj of the National Criminal Intelligence Service. He denied published reports that it had been $120 a gram and had dropped to $50 recently.
Sweden's biggest worry, he said, is the opening of a new supply route full of higher-potency white heroin. In the past, most of Sweden's heroin came from Afghanistan via Iran or Turkey, the Balkans and northern Europe, and it arrived as lower-potency brown heroin base, which is more commonly smoked. Now a second route, from Afghanistan and nearby states through Russia and the Baltic countries, is delivering more of the refined white heroin hydrochloride, which can be injected.
"There are lots of hidden stocks in Afghanistan, and intelligence says they're moving it," Mr. Bjurlinj said. "But we don't see any effect here yet."
In Spain, neither Madrid nor Barcelona have seen changes in price or availability since Sept. 11, said Javier Hernández, a spokesman for the National Drug Plan. He believes that the amount of heroin consumed in Spain has dropped by half in the last five years thanks to methadone and other treatments, but said street prices of about $58 a gram had remained steady.
ASAP Elects New President
At the Annual Meeting of the Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of NYS, Eileen Pencer, President of Lower Eastside Service Center, was elected as ASAP’s new president. Eileen is a strong supporter of methadone treatment and has long been a moving force in ASAP. We wish Eileen well in her new role in the state provider association and look forward to working closely with her in the future.
ABOUT COMPA
The Committee of Methadone Program Administrators of New York State is a not-for-profit coalition representing New York State’s methadone treatment system which serves over 46,000 individuals suffering from opioid addiction and other substance abuse disorders.
Opioid addiction is a chronic, relapsing medical disorder, with serious consequences related to public health and safety. Methadone treatment has proven to be the most effective means of treating this disorder.
COMPA’s mission is to further the treatment of opioid addiction and other substance abuse disorders in order to address the medical, social and psychological consequences of use, prevent the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases, reduce criminal behavior, promote employment and self-sufficiency, and support the return to a healthy and productive lifestyle.
In order to support this mission, COMPA and its member organizations are committed to the promotion and expansion of methadone treatment through education of elected officials, providers, consumers, and the public at large. COMPA advocates for expanded models of service delivery, co-located services and consumer empowerment to provide increased access to treatment. COMPA supports enhanced services, a comprehensive continuum of care, the provision of high quality treatment and ongoing professional staff development. COMPA encourages the involvement of membership in the development of public policy, standards of care, and regulatory oversight.
COMPA Board of Directors
Peter Coleman, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, President
Ira Marion, AECOM-Montefiore, Vice President
Johanne Morne, Whitney Young MMTP, Secretary
Richard Woytek, Long Island Jewish MMTP, Treasurer
Herbert Barish, Lower Eastside Service Center
Willard Campbell, Suffolk County Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
Robert Krauss, Long Beach Hospital MMTP
Robert Sage, A.R.T.C.
Sheila Tierney, Crouse Hospital
Ira Wolfe, St. Luke’s Hospital
COMPA Executive Director
Henry Bartlett
COMPA has established this newsletter to ensure that New York State providers of opioid treatment services have an effective mechanism of communication which facilitates the dissemination of information, encourages dialogue and the adaptation of best practices, promotes staff development and retention, and assists in the effort to reduce stigma. The COMPA Bulletin includes information regarding best practices, research, demonstration projects, accreditation, training opportunities, conferences, and other items of interest to the field and will be distributed via email on a monthly basis.
COMPA encourages readers to submit news, articles, research, and other items of interest for possible inclusion. Submissions should be titled "COMPA Bulletin Submission" and directed to info@compa-ny.org.
Want to receive the COMPA Bulletin directly? Send your email address to us and we will be happy to add your name to our list. Addresses should be titled "Subscription List" and directed to info@compa-ny.org.
Past issues of the COMPA Bulletin are available on our web site www.compa-ny.com.
The COMPA Bulletin is compiled, written and distributed by:
The Committee of Methadone Program Administrators of NYS Inc.
250 Fifth Avenue, Suite 210
New York, N.Y. 10001
518-281-8965
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