National Institute on Drug Abuse to Unveil NIDAMED, Physicians' Outreach Initiative

Washington, D.C. - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, will unveil its Physicians' Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, on Monday, April 20, 2009. NIDA is joined by U.S. Senator Carl Levin, the Acting U.S. Surgeon General, the Acting Director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, the Director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the CEO of the American Medical Association and others leading U.S. efforts to improve access to care for people addicted to drugs.

At the heart of NIDAMED are tools and resources for medical professionals to screen their patients for substance use. Research shows that screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment, by clinicians in general medical settings, can promote significant reductions in alcohol and tobacco use. A growing body of literature also suggests clinician interventions lead to potential reductions in illegal and nonmedical prescription drug use. However, many patients do not discuss their drug use with their physicians, and only a fraction of individuals who need addiction treatment receive it each year.

NIDAMED enables physicians to be the first line of defense against substance abuse and addiction and to increase awareness of the likely impact of substance abuse on a patient's overall health. The NIDAMED tools, including an online screening tool and quick reference guide, are designed to fit into today's busy clinical practices.

In 2007, an estimated 20 million Americans aged 12 or older (around 8 percent of the population) were current (past month) users of illegal drugs - nearly one in five of those 18-25 years old - and almost 71 million Americans were current users of tobacco products. The consequences of such drug use can be far reaching - playing a role in the cause and progression of many medical disorders

When: Monday, April 20, 2009, 10:00 a.m.

Where: The National Press Club
Holeman Lounge, 13th Floor
529 14th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20045

Host: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Speakers:

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Ed Jurith, J.D.
Acting Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy

The Honorable Carl Levin
United States Senator, Michigan

Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H.
Acting United States Surgeon General

H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., CAS, FASAM
Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Michael Maves, M.D., M.B.A.
Executive Vice President & CEO, American Medical Association

Louis Baxter, M.D., FASAM
President, American Society of Addiction Medicine (Invited)

Maristela Monteira, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Advisor, Alcohol and Substance Abuse and Team Leader of Tobacco, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Pan American Health Organization

Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Invited)

At 1:00 p.m., NIDA will convene a scientific meeting in which researchers will discuss the latest advances and the role of the medical community in drug addiction treatment. (An agenda for this meeting is below.)

The Science of Recognizing and Treating Substance Abuse and Addiction
The National Press Club, Holeman Lounge, 13th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20045

Monday, April 20, 2009

AGENDA