Archive for the ‘Methadone Clinics’ Category

Cost-effectiveness of integrating methadone maintenance and antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive drug users in Vietnam’s injection-driven HIV epidemics.

Filed under: Methadone Clinics

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Mar 19;
Tran BX, Ohinmaa A, Duong AT, Nguyen LT, Vu PX, Mills S, Houston S, Jacobs P

Increases in the availability of prescribed opioids in a Canadian setting.

Filed under: Methadone Clinics

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012 Apr 3;
Nosyk B, Marshall BD, Fischer B, Montaner JS, Wood E, Kerr T

BACKGROUND: The nonmedical use of prescribed opioids (POs) has increased across North America over the past decade. Our objective was to identify changes in the availability of POs and other illicit drugs among drug users in a Canadian setting. METHODS: Information on the availability of illicit drugs was collected in standardized interviews from a large observational research program involving illicit drug users in Vancouver, British Columbia from 2006 to 2010. The primary outcome was the perceived availability of a set of six POs (aspirin/oxycodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, morphine, acetaminophen/codeine and methadone) among individuals reporting ever using POs. Availability was measured in three levels: not available, delayed availability (available ?10min), and immediate availability (available <10min). Multivariate ordinal logistic regression models were executed to estimate the trend in PO availability, controlling for individual characteristics hypothesized to influence availability. RESULTS: 1871 individuals were followed during the study period (2006-2010), including 583 (31.2%) women. The availability of POs increased over time, regardless of changes in the characteristics of cohort entrants. These increases were observed while the availability of traditional drugs of abuse (e.g., heroin and cocaine) remained constant. The adjusted odds of delayed availability vs. unavailability were between 34% (hydromorphone) and 71% (acetaminophen/codeine) greater in each calendar year. DISCUSSION: The availability of POs among drug users in a Canadian setting increased markedly over a relatively short timeframe, despite persistent and high availability of heroin and cocaine. Further study is required to determine the context of use of POs, associated harms, as well as policy responses to increasing availability. Source

What Do Changes to Acute Inpatient Rehab Mean? – bit.ly Medicare changes to Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation facilities has resulted in a reduction in acute rehab beds and facilities, causing many patients to rely on nursing home rehab for brain injury rehabilitation, complex orthopedic rehabilitation, spinal rehabilitation, stroke rehab and various neuro-degenerative rehabilitations such as Parkinson’s. Understanding the distinctions between nursing homes and acute inpatient rehab centers could be important for your vitality and well-being. Nancy Zyrkowski, program director, and Dr. Mario Giorgianni, medical director at El Camino Hospital’s Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Center in Los Gatos, California, talk about how to find the right rehab center for you.

Predictors identified for rehospitalization among post-acute stroke patients

Filed under: inpatient rehabilitation facilities

The researchers examined sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with hospital readmission in a sample of nearly 700 first-time stroke patients who received post-acute inpatient rehabilitation between 2005 and 2006 at nine facilities in eight …
Read more on EurekAlert (press release)

The poor oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in a Chinese city.

Filed under: Methadone Clinics

Med Sci Monit. 2012 Apr 1; 18(4): PH51-55
Ma H, Shi XC, Hu DY, Li X

Background: There have been few studies conducted on the oral health status of illegal drug users in China, affecting the development of preventive and therapeutic approaches. The aim of the present study was to investigate and analyze the oral health status of former heroin users treated with methadone in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.
Material/Methods: The presence of caries (decayed tooth and root), missing teeth, residual roots, dental prosthetic restoration and periodontal health were investigated in 445 former heroin users treated with methadone (317 males and 128 females). Their ages ranged from 20 to 59 years old.
Results: Among the study subjects, the prevalence of decayed/filled teeth was 64.72%, and the mean of decayed/filled teeth score was 2.92. The prevalence of decayed/filled roots was 21.80%, and the mean of decayed/filled roots score was 0.62. The prevalence of missing teeth was 31.46%, and the mean missing teeth score was 0.62. The prevalence of residual roots was 42.02%, with a mean score of 1.06. The rates of gingival bleeding, calculus, shallow pockets periodontal pocket, and deep periodontal pocket were 99.55%, 96.63%, 30.34%, and 2.70%, respectively.
Conclusions: The oral health status among the studied former heroin users in Chengdu was poorer than the general population. Better dental care for the former heroin users is needed to promote their oral health.
Source

Officials say methadone clinic too close to day care – Bend Bulletin

Filed under: Methadone Clinics

Officials say methadone clinic too close to day care Bend Bulletin By Damian Mann / Mail Tribune (Medford ) MEDFORD — Medford officials have ordered a methadone clinic on East Main Street to cease operations within 90 days after the city discovered it is too close to a day care center. City Attorney Kevin McConnell … Medford methadone clinic too close to day careStatesman Journal Methadone ClinicKOBI-TV NBC 5 / KOTI-TV NBC 2 all 20 news articles »

Source

State cites Duluth methadone clinic for violations – Duluth News Tribune

Filed under: Methadone Clinics

State cites Duluth methadone clinic for violations Duluth News Tribune Duluth's only methadone clinic has fallen under tight scrutiny by the Minnesota Department of Human Services after the clinic was found to have 26 violations after an investigation fueled by complaints about the chemical-dependency treatment center. Duluth Methadone Clinic Gets 26 ViolationsNorthland’s NewsCenter all 2 news articles »

The opiate withdrawal scale, also known as COWS is a tool used by doctors and treatment faculty to assess what level of opiate withdrawal that someone is in. Where you fall on the opiate withdrawal scale will let the health care professional know what form of treatment to give you to make you as comfortable as possible.

Below, are the eleven things that are measured during the opiate withdrawal scale test:

Resting Pulse Rate
Amount of Sweat present that is not accounted for by room temperature
Restlessness
Pupil Size
Bone or Joint Aches
Runny nose or tearing
GI Upset
Tremors
Yawning
Gooseflesh

The opiate withdrawal scale is the most part necessary because everyone exhibits withdrawal symptoms differently. Most people report three distinct stages to withdrawal.