I am pleased to welcome you to AATOD’s updated website, which includes all of our current policy initiatives, focusing on expanding access to care in the criminal justice system and better understanding the dynamics of increasing prescription opioid abuse and its effects on admitting new patients to OTPs.

We are working with our Nevada associates to produce AATOD’s next National Conference, which will convene at the Venetian/Palazzo Hotel in las Vegas, Nevada during April 21-25, 2012, which is being Chaired by Shirley Linzy, and hosted by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services/Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services/Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency.

AATOD has also recently received approval with our policy partner (EUROPAD) as the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence was given Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status by the Department of Social and Economic Affairs within the United Nations. This will allow us to work more effectively with international policy partners as we expand access to chronic opioid addiction treatment wherever it is needed throughout the world.

We are also working with our policy partners to increase access to Prescription Monitoring Program datab[pases as a method of treating our patients more safely and effectively.

We encourage you to view our membership section and contact us if you have any interest in joining as individual members, program members, or developing statewide associations. There is also a new document on the website, which discusses the challenges that AATOD has faced over the past 25 years and the solutions that we applied in resolving these matters.

We all hope that you find this website to be informative and a useful reference tool. I look forward to seeing you at our next National Conference in Las Vegas from April 21-25, 2012.

Sincerely yours,

Mark W. Parrino, MPA
President