Dear Opioid Treatment Provider and Friends of Treatment,
On behalf of the MATOD’s Board of Directors, welcome to the MATOD website. We are the Maryland chapter of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD). We hope that you will bookmark this site and visit us regularly for updates on OTP related issues, membership information, trainings and educational opportunities and during session, legislative information and updates.
Lisa Hillman and Howard Ashkin, MATOD’s President, discussed a parent and family’s journey through addiction and recovery at the April 28th annual Annapolis Book Festival.
The reduction of stigma associated with addiction and its treatments was one of many discussion points with the author and group of 30 people who attended.
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and MedChi are pleased to announce a new webinar series starting on Thursday October 29, the BHA/MedChi Behavioral Health Webinar Series: Helping the Helpers and Those They Serve.
The heart of the project is an 11-minute video on the home page of the project at https://opioidmatanswers.com/. The video offers answers to five key questions about MAT through personal testimonials and the expertise of Dr. Yngvild Olsen. There is also plenty more on the website and we encourage you not only to visit, but to spread the word to others.
More than 2 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder, but only about 25% of people receive any sort of care. For many, inpatient treatment often means leaving a job and loved ones behind to seek recovery. Substance use disorder, however, is a chronic disease that needs long-term management and may be better suited to outpatient treatment options that help address the whole person, not just the disease.
Maryland has taken sever critical steps in recent years to address longstanding and pervasive barriers to treatment for children and adults with mental health and substance use disorder. We are making progress, but we are not out of the woods yet.
