We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

This paper serves as a useful example of the way one medical system has begun addressing the issue of managing opioid use disordered patients in a non-addictions setting. Caring for such patients can be especially stressful for medical professionals who are not trained in addictions. The coming together of many disciplines in the form of a task force highlights the fact that caring for the patients requires a multifaceted approach to improve patient safety and patient outcomes. Use of a task force also allowed for problems to be identified and solved quickly and efficiently.  Further, the use of this model really helped bring a distressed team together with a unified mission to tackle the prevalent and potentially deadly issue of caring for those with active opioid addictions in a general medical ward.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> April-June 2017.
————————————————————————————————-

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders within a national community health center research network
Traci Rieckmann, John Muench, Mary Ann McBurnie, Michael C. Leo, Phillip Crawford, Daren Ford, Jennifer Stubbs, Conall O’Cleirigh, Kenneth H. Mayer, Kevin Fiscella, Nicole Wright, Maya Doe-Simkins, Matthew Cuddeback, Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, and Christine Nelson
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

Our manuscript details a descriptive research study about care for substance use disorders in non-specialty settings; we examine prevalence rates, patient characteristics, utilization of medication assisted treatments, and screening for safety net patients from a national network of community health centers. Findings from this study provide important information about the low rates of use of medication assisted treatments in primary care settings, and also provide insights into the characteristics and care for uninsured patients, a population often overlooked in most studies utilizing insurance claims data. The implications of these findings include a focused understanding of the treatment needs and future steps that need to be taken in order to adequately address substance use disorders in safety net populations.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> January-April 2017.
————————————————————————————————-

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth among substance abuse treatment provider
Merith Cosden, Ashley Sanford, Lauren M. Koch, and Caitlin E. Lepore
Substance Abuse Vol. 37 , Iss. 4,2016

Many clients who are in treatment for substance abuse also have a history of trauma. Treatment providers acknowledge the role that trauma plays in substance abuse and many provide integrated treatment for trauma symptoms and substance abuse. Unfortunately, programmatic changes have proceeded faster than has our understanding of the impact of this work on substance abuse treatment providers. In particular, we know that working with clients who have experienced trauma can result in vicarious trauma and/or vicarious posttraumatic growth. This study examined factors associated with vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth for counselors working with clients in substance abuse treatment. Counselors who were in recovery were more likely than other counselors to report a history of trauma; they also reported higher levels of vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth. This study identified risk factors for counselors’ experiencing vicarious trauma and vicarious posttraumatic growth, and points to the importance of preparing counselors, both personally and professionally, for addressing trauma within substance abuse treatment programs.

————————————————————————————————-
Our newly released issue is now online —> January-April 2017.
————————————————————————————————-