Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - June 27, 2008
Sara Michael, smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com
"We are really focusing on getting as many people to the point where we can transfer them into primary care," said Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
The Baltimore Buprenorphine Initiative has treated 1,159 patients since October 2006, according to the program's second report provided to The Examiner.
Buprenorphine has been touted as a safe and effective treatment for opiate addiction.
SInce July 2007, officials have reached out to target groups such as commercial sex workers, HIV-infected patients and patients with mental disorders.
Patients initially selected for treatment were highly motivated, Sharfstein said, but now some of them don't intend to stay on buprenorphine. The benchmark is to have 65 percent of patients stay in treatment for 90 days, but over the past year, that rate has dropped to 52 percent, the report states.
Longer stays in treatment means a better outcome, but "there are many drug addicted individuals who prefer a shorter time-limited treatment," the report states.
The program also aims to transfer people to continuing care within 90 to 120 days, but the average time is 163 days, the report states.
Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc., which runs the program, has hired a consultant to guide clinical care and develop an educational and training plan, the report said.
Addiction treatment specialist Michael Gimbel said buprenorphine treatment should include comprehensive services such as counseling and employment outreach.
Dr. Michael Hayes, an addiction treatment specialist who treats about 55 patients with buprenorphine, commended the initiative but cautioned against placing high expectations on the drug's long-term benefits.
"We don't have a lot of experience with it," he said.
"Let's not fool ourselves here that there is an easy cure to opiate addiction, because there's not."
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