NOT TIME TO GO ‘HOME’ YET –

May 18, 2021 – “A medication-first approach allows patients to first be stabilized on medication, and then be brought into the right level of care to fit their needs — therefore decreasing the risk of overdose and relapse.” Medication-assisted treatment can increase retention rates in treatment and patients’ ability to gain and maintain employment, as well as reducing the need for inpatient detox, improving birth outcomes among pregnant women, sustaining recovery and reducing opioid overdose, Kuehl said.

Kuehl pointed to research finding that new users of syringe programs are five times more likely to enter drug treatment and about three times more likely to stop using drugs than those who don’t participate.

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