Director's Corner
Director's Update
Kimberly A. Johnson, Director
What's New - Spring 2004
The Maine Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) recently awarded a contract
to GHS Data Management of Augusta to develop and manage the state’s
new electronic prescription drug monitoring program to help prevent and
detect the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances
(prescribed drugs), particularly at the retail level where no other automated
information collection system exists. The original grant to OSA is from
the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Given the extent of Maine’s
prescription drug abuse problem, this program will become another tool
for prescribers and public policy officials to identify and reduce the
adverse effects of pharmaceutical controlled substances.
OSA’s Treatment Team has completed a series of five regional meetings
with substance abuse agency clinicians. The purpose of the meetings was
to update participants on treatment related initiatives including co-occurring
disorders, agency licensing regulations, evidence based practice, workforce
development and opioid treatment in Maine. Inasmuch as OSA will be asking
agencies to increase the number of group counseling units in the 2005
contracts, the Team was interested in hearing what the clinicians saw
as barriers to this level of treatment. They were impressed to hear a
great deal of support for groups and found the exchange valuable.
The Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey (MYDAUS) for 2004 is being
administered in Maine’s schools during the months of March and
April. The overall goal of the survey series is to identify patterns
of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among middle and high school
students in Maine. Results will be available in June and will be posted
on the OSA website.
The Maine Inhalant Abuse Task Force has been formed to combat inhalant
abuse - the intentional breathing in of gas and vapors with the goal
of getting high – among youth. This is often referred to as “huffing”.
There are over 1,000 common household, school, and industrial products
that can be abused. Typical substances include gasoline, paint thinner,
nail polish remover, permanent and dry erase magic markers, glues and
adhesives, and aerosol cans containing paint, deodorant, hair spray,
whipped cream, etc.
The Task Force hopes to be able to do several things such as, better
understand inhalant abuse in Maine by understanding how kids are influenced
by adults around inhalants, create a strategy for Maine to combat the
problem, connect existing resources, and create Maine specific educational
materials. We will report on this area as Task Force work progresses.
OSA is delighted to announce that it now has a part-time Medical Director,
Dr. James Fine, a board certified psychiatrist who has worked for BDS
as the Medical Director for several years. Dr. Fine has a strong substance
abuse treatment background including first-hand experience with methadone
treatment. He will provide valuable support to numerous OSA activities,
including the Co-occurring Disorders initiative, Opioid treatment issues,
and critical incident reviews.
OSA continues to face some serious challenges in its efforts to reduce
the abuse of alcohol and other drugs in Maine. Every day we learn more
about the effects on our state. While we face many challenges, we will
stay vigilant and ensure that best practice is brought to Maine.
Previous Updates
What's New - August 2003
What's New - January 2003
What's New - August 2002
