This collection of selected photographs were taken during the April 25-29, 2009 AATOD National Conference in New York City . For those of you who participated in the conference and may appear in these photographs, they should provide a fitting memory of the success of AATOD’s 25th Anniversary event. It was appropriate that we returned to New York City for our 25th Conference since our first conference convened during December 1984 in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York . I am grateful to Ira Marion , who chaired the conference, for his extraordinary work, which made our conference a great success along with all of the committee chairs and their respective members. The Volunteer and Hospitality Committee members from New York also added a great deal to the success of our conference in addition to our partners at Talley Management group.

It is my hope that you will enjoy these photographs, especially those who have participated in this conference and those who are considering attending our conference in Chicago from October 23-27, 2010. The conference photos are directly below and are categorized by event, so please click on each corresponding event to view the photographs. AATOD is also offering audio CDs, which were taken from our 2009 Pre-Conference and Conference sessions. These CDs will add to your conference experience and they are a great way of sharing with others the information presented during the conference. Furthermore, these CDs are beneficial to those of you who could not attend the conference. Please click here to obtain the Recording Order Form.

I am extremely grateful to the individuals who made the commitment to travel to New York from our country and more than 20 countries throughout the world. I am also grateful to our many partners in EUROPAD, under the inspired direction of Dr. Icro Maremmani, who is our organizing partner in founding the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence.

The World Federation representatives met at the United Nations immediately following our conference with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in addition to representatives from some of the member nations within the UN.

Our field continues to face many serious challenges from numerous adversaries. Please consider making a donation to AATOD to support our continued efforts in expanding access to critically needed quality addiction treatment services in the United States and wherever they are needed throughout the world. Please click here to make a contribution.

WELCOME RECEPTION
Sunday evening’s Welcome Reception was supported in part by Addiction Treatment Providers Insurance Program. The Welcome Reception was the official opening of our conference and affords all participants the opportunity to make new professional and personal acquaintances, as well as to enjoy some relaxing time with old friends and colleagues not seen for too long.

OPENING PLENARY SESSION – Meeting Challenges in Turbulent Times: New York State ’s Transformed Treatment System and Continuum of Care
The Opening Plenary Session of Monday, April 27, 2009 included remarks from Ira Marion (Conference Chair), the Honorable Karen Carpenter-Palumbo (Commissioner - New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services) in addition to Mark Parrino (President – AATOD). We are also extremely grateful for the incredible support that the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and COMPA (New York State Opioid Treatment Coalition) provided to make our conference a success.

EXHIBITOR NETWORKING BREAK
The Exhibitor Networking Break of Monday afternoon, April 27, 2009 (sponsored in part by O. Berk/Kols Containers and Tower Systems, Inc.) provided a good overview of the exhibitors who presented at our conference in addition to the activity of interested OTP and State representatives as well. We are always grateful to all of our conference sponsors, who are able to provide funding to AATOD in order to keep registration rates at affordable levels: Bendiner & Schlesinger, Inc.; The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF); Colonial Management, L.P.; Covidien-Mallinckrodt; David Szerlip & Associates Insurance; GlaxoSmithKline; National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH; Netsmart Technologies; Orasure Technologies, Inc; Reckitt-Benckiser; Roxane Laboratories; The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT); and VistaPharm.

MIDDLE PLENARY SESSION – Integrating Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care Into Medication Assisted Treatment: People and Outcomes
The Tuesday Plenary Session on April 28, 2009 featured two patient advocates, Anthony Badger and Carolyn Visconte, who made emotionally powerful presentations about their recovery through medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence. They were joined by William White, Senior Research Consultant at Chestnut Health Systems, who made a moving address about his own evolution in considering the use of medications like methadone to treat opioid dependence and the critical role the medication plays in recovery. Dr. H. Westley Clark provided the closing address with an excellent and comprehensive presentation about integrating recovery-oriented systems of care into medication-assisted treatment, underscoring CSAT/SAMHSA’s commitment to supporting patients in recovery-based treatment like methadone and buprenorphine.

PRE-BANQUET COCKTAIL RECEPTION AND AWARDS RECEPTION
The Pre-Banquet Cocktail Reception (sponsored by Smart Management) and the Awards Banquet (sponsored by Covidien-Mallinckrodt) shows our Award recipients with Ms. Anita Townley, who presented the Nyswander/Dole “Marie” Award to our deserving honorees. The photographs also include Mr. Walter Ginter, who received the Richard Lane/Robert Holden Patient Advocacy Award, which was presented by Ms. Joycelyn Woods and Mr. Anthony Scro.

Also included in this set of photographs is Dr. A. Thomas McLellan, recipient of the “Friend of the Field” Award presented by the AATOD Board of Directors.

CLOSING PLENARY SESSION – Policy, Programs and People
The Closing Plenary Session of April 29, 2009, featuring Dr. Robert Millman (Saul P. Steinberg Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health – Weill Medical College, Cornell University), who moderated the session and provided a sweeping opening address, an overview of his four decades’ work in this field. Dr. Millman was one of the leading physicians who helped expand access to the treatment system in New York City .

These pictures also show Edward Jurith (General Counsel/Acting Director (at the time) - Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President), who provided the official closing remarks for our conference. It is fitting that Mr. Jurith provided these remarks since he attended our first conference in New York City in 1984 when he served as the Counsel to the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control.

The final images of the closing plenary show Ira Marion passing the baton to Susan McKnight, who will serve as the Conference Chair for AATOD’s October 23-27, 2010 conference in Chicago . I am pleased to report that our first planning meeting, which was chaired by Susan McKnight and attended by all of the conference organizing chairs, already convened in Chicago on August 13, 2009.