New HHS Practice Guidelines
Here’s the most important takeaway of the “HHS Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder”: All prescribers with a valid state license and DEA can register for an X wavier without mandatory training.
Pomona Valley Hospital Becomes Part of the Solution
Like many urban areas, Pomona has a significant homeless population and people with high rates of addiction and substance use disorders who end up among the 90,000 patients in the hospital’s hectic Emergency Department each year.
Local EMS Lead the Country with Opioid Treatment Model
This EMS project has the potential not only to save lives in the community of Contra Costa County but to serve as a model for similar interventions across the state and nation.
HHS Moves to Exempt Physicians From X-waiver Requirements
New proposed guidelines may exempt physicians from the X-waiver requirement, with no limitations on prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment for emergency physicians and other hospital-based physicians.
Champion Story: Dr. Meggie Woods
Dr. Meggie Woods is a hospital champion for the CA Bridge program at Sutter Health, Alta Bates Summit in Oakland, CA. As a program champion, Dr. Woods ensures that the innovative program model is represented by at least one doctor within the hospital...
Fighting for a Better Future
Structural racism in this country is a public health emergency that intersects squarely with the opioid epidemic and our work in addiction medicine. We are dedicated to de-stigmatizing substance use, in the broad context of health equity and the ongoing legacy of racism.