Guilford County is the third most populated county in the state of North Carolina. Located within Guilford County are the cities of Greensboro and High Point – both of which are experiencing a surprising increase in opioid addiction and related overdoses.

The High Point Enterprise news reported that the High Point Vice and Narcotics unit has begun to make a favorable impact on the problem with multiple arrests of those trafficking heroin locally. The article documents that 70 reported High Point opioid overdoses have occurred thus far in 2014 with 9 of those ending in death. Six people were arrested the week of July 14 and are being held on multi-million dollar bonds for their roles in selling or trafficking heroin. To emphasize the local impact, the HP Enterprise reported that 7 overdoses occurred within a 24 hour period on May 16, 2014.

Just 15 miles away in the neighboring city of Greensboro, Rhino Times covered the local explosion in … Read more

Behavioral Health Group (BHG) is a leading provider of opioid addiction treatment services with programs presently covering eight U.S. states. BHG provide both maintenance and detox services in an outpatient setting and utilize a variety of FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid addiction such as methadone and buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is the active ingredient in Suboxone.

The company currently has 37 treatment center locations in Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. BHG operate in accordance with a number of core values that define their services, to include: character, enthusiasm, compassion, teamwork, and perseverance.

The organization’s website states that they incorporate best practices into their treatment approaches and use outcome-based metrics to consistently improve their service delivery. BHG has achieved full accreditation among their various facilities which means that they meet or exceed quality standards of care as determined by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Facilities.

Medication-assisted treatment is the industry standard for … Read more

Soon to be released is a new oral buprenorphine based product called Bunavail. Bunavail is manufactured by Biodelivery Sciences and is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. It is a thin film formulation that is designed to adhere to the inner cheek where it quickly dissolves and is absorbed into the mucosal lining of the mouth.

The medication is touted as delivering about twice as much active ingredient into the patient’s bloodstream compared to sublingual suboxone. Bunavail is scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2014. A press release by the company mentions that the medication will compete with other products in the $1.7 billion dollar opioid dependency treatment market.

Bunavail is a new advancement in drug delivery technology according to the press release and is reported to produce less constipation than other competing buprenorphine products. Patients can also speak freely while the medication dissolves.

With an estimated 2 million plus people addicted to opioids in the … Read more

An article in Maine’s Bangor Daily News outlines a case recently decided in which the Town of Warren, Maine was found to have adopted an ordinance that was ruled discriminatory and in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

CRC Health Group had been fighting to open a methadone clinic in Warren to provide treatment services to those struggling with the disease of opioid addiction. However, the town of Warren had opposed this initiative for several years. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge John Nivison approved an agreement in which the town of Warren will pay $495,000 to CRC Health Group to drop its lawsuit.

CRC offers a variety of behavioral health treatment programs around the country and has a special focus in opioid addiction services utilizing medication-assisted treatment like methadone and buprenorphine.

Maine has a substantial opiate addiction problem and is in need of more resources for those individuals stuck in the vicious cycle of opiate addiction and withdrawal.

Historically, … Read more