News from the Node

The Northeast Node (PI Dr. Lisa Marsch) is very pleased to join the New England Consortium (Lead Node, PI Dr. Kathleen Carroll) and the Health Systems Node (PI Dr. Cynthia Campbell) on CTN-0092, “Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Phenotyping Feasibility for Clinical Trials.”

(more…)

New Hampshire is starting 2019 off with the opening of “The Doorway-NH” program which is set to provide 24/7 access to help for substance use that is within an hour’s reach of any New Hampshire resident. In light of the opioid crisis that has disproportionally affected New Hampshire, this program is intended to make screening, evaluation, and care coordination services more centralized, available, and accessible. The Doorway-NH program is a modified “hub and spoke” model where the doorways will serve as the “hubs” and work with local providers (“spokes”) to implement regional approaches to the opioid crisis. Residents who are looking for help with substance use disorders or how to access treatment in the state can call 2-1-1 at any time to access hub services.

(more…)

Members of the Northeast Node attended Catholic Medical Center’s 4th Annual Summit on Management of the Opioid-Dependent Patient and Optimal Pain Treatment Friday, November 16, 2018 in Nashua NH. This all-day event featured speakers from CMC Addiction Medicine, New Era Medicine/Fusion, the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, and the DEA, among others. Tackling timely topics such as X-waiver training, endocarditis, and infectious disease complications of IVDU, and conference addressed issues relevant to researchers, clinicians, and all stakeholders in the opioid epidemic. The conference also included presentations offering individual perspectives and on the ground clinical experience in the opioid crisis, including Patty Labrie RN and Kristen Byron’s RN “Bedside View of the Opioid Epidemic” and Dr. Po Hsu’s “Opioid Crisis: One Clinician’s Pilgrimage.” Anne Maria Zanfagna’s powerful portrait series “Angels of Addiction” was featured at the conference with the artist addressing the audience over lunch with her personal story.

More on the summit here.

On November 15th the Northeast Node Science Series welcomed Kay Jankowski, PhD and Erin Knight, PhD from the Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for a presentation entitled, “The Effects of Caregiver Substance Use Disorder on the Well-being of Children and Youth.”

(more…)

Investigators and partners of the Northeast Node were recently featured in an in-depth article on evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorder in New Hampshire. The article examines programs that are combating the opioid crisis in the state, bringing science and novel approaches to increasing access to treatment for those in need, including pregnant moms with opioid use disorder. We are so proud of our partnering organizations and investigators for not only continuing to bring hope and support to those in need, but for doing it with the utmost dedication. We are proud to work alongside these men and women!

(more…)

On September 27^th, the Northeast Node’s Science Series welcomed Laura Byrne, Executive Director of the HIV/HCV Resource Center in Lebanon, NH, for a presentation entitled, “What’s the Point? Harm Reduction through Syringe Exchange in White River Junction and Springfield, VT.”

(more…)

Despite accounting for only 6% of the US population, men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 53% of all people living with HIV. The targeted promotion of HIV self-testing and simplified access to test kits and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) medication is a promising approach to HIV prevention among this high-risk population.

Online services are increasingly becoming a platform for efficiently delivering public health campaigns and targeting those in need who may be missed by other conventional forms of prevention outreach (e.g. physicians).

(more…)

In June of 2018, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) updated its Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, originally published in 2016. The updated toolkit is designed to help people who use opioids, healthcare providers, families, and other community members prevent overdose deaths related to opioid use. The toolkit addresses several factors that can lead to an opioid overdose death and discusses when and how to use naloxone, or Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. The toolkit also describes how to respond to a suspected opioid overdose, information for prescribers, and general tips for family members to help recognize an opioid use disorder and address early signs of dependence.

You can download the updated Toolkit here.

Northeast Node Core Investigators Dr. Sarah Lord and Daisy Goodman have been approved for $5.3 million in funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study medication-assisted treatment (MAT) models for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD). The study will span across five years and will look at three different types of MAT and obstetric treatment for pregnant women with OUD at 21 sites across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Many of these sites are partners or affiliates of the Northeast Node or work closely with its partners in the care of pregnant women with OUD.

(more…)

The Fire Chief of New Hampshire’s Manchester Fire Department, Daniel Goonan, attended the 2018 CTN Annual Steering and Scientific Meeting in North Bethesda, MD to present Safe Station to CTN researchers, partners, and affiliates.

(more…)