ADAI News

Medical Provider Position, Evergreen Treatment Services

Evergreen Treatment Services has an opening for a mid-level medical practitioner at their Olympia (South Sound Clinic) site.  ETS is a private, non-profit organization licensed as an outpatient opioid treatment program. The agency currently serves over 1500 patients in methadone clinics located in King County and Thurston County.

The Medical Provider will work closely with the South Sound Clinic Medical Director, Site Manager, other medical providers and agency staff to offer the highest quality medical care to patients.  ETS prides itself on maintaining the highest moral and ethical standards and actively seeks to remain at the forefront of evidence based practices.

The ideal Medical Provider candidate will be highly invested in working for a nonprofit business that is devoted to its patients and who enjoys the multifaceted work required for a successful nonprofit agency.  This person is also an individual who fully understands the validity of treating opioid dependence from a medical approach and who can respectfully and appropriately advocate for patients in an occasionally challenging political environment. To apply, click here and include a resume and cover letter.  ETS is an EOE.

ETS also has two other positions open: Chemical Dependency Counselor and  Intake Assistant.

Student Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug Use in Washington State

Washington high-school students who participated in the statewide Washington 2012 Healthy Youth Survey say they are twice as likely to smoke marijuana as cigarettes.

High-school smoking has decreased significantly across the state, with cigarette smoking down in grades six, eight, 10 and 12, but the number of high-school students who believe using marijuana is risky is also at a low point, health officials said Thursday after releasing the 2012 survey results.

“As the perception of harm goes down, use goes up,” said Washington Health Secretary Mary Selecky. 

Source: Seattle Times 3/15/2013.  Read more...

Positions Open: Chemical Dependency Counselor, Intake Assistant

Evergreen Treatment Services has been providing evidence-based addiction treatment services to the citizens of Western Washington for forty years. ETS is a private, non-profit organization licensed as an outpatient opioid treatment program. The agency currently serves over 1500 patients in methadone clinics located in King County and Thurston County. 

ETS has current openings for two full-time positions:

Chemical Dependency Counselor.
ETS has an opening for a full time Chemical Dependency Counselor. CDPT licensure is required, CDP licensure and Master's level degree are preferred. ETS provides a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical and dental coverage, 403B and paid time off. 

To view the complete job description and to apply, click here. Please include a resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in working at ETS.

Intake Assistant
ETS has an immediate opening for a full-time Intake Assistant. The primary goal of this position is enabling opioid dependent individuals to obtain outpatient medication assisted treatment services. Chemical Dependency Professional (C.D.P.) or Chemical Dependency Professional Trainee (C.D.P.T.) or equivalent state license, e.g. Licensed Social Worker, is required. 

To view the complete job description and to apply, click here. Please include a resume and cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in working at ETS.

Position Open: Chemical Dependency Certification Specialist

The Washington State Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery is seeking a Chemical Dependency Certification Specialist, Social & Health Services Consultant 2.   This position is located in the Certification Section of DBHR.  The primary responsibility is to conduct on-site surveys of and to provide technical assistance to certified Chemical Dependency treatment programs.  The DBHR Certification Specialist evaluates compliance with applicable state and federal regulations, quality of care and program effectiveness, provides consultation and assists in the development and implementation of regulations for behavioral health treatment providers.  The job requires extensive in-state travel.  For a full description, visit DBHR Certification Specialist - SHPM 2 - Job Opening

Closes: March 15, 2013. To apply: http://careers.wa.gov.

Prescription Overdose Deaths Decline in Washington State

Drug overdose deaths from prescription painkillers are on the decline across Washington, as noted in a story on the KPLU website by Keith Seinfeld.  Deaths from drugs such as Vicodin and Oxycontin rose dramatically starting in 1998, reaching a peak in 2008, and killing more than 500 people that year.  Now, the deaths have dropped for three years in a row, with 407 deaths in 2011 attributed to overdoses of painkillers, called opiates, according to data released by the Washington Department of Health.

It appears the deaths might correlate with a drop in the number of pills prescribed, according to Caleb Banta-Green, a Research Scientist at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington. Read more...

SAMHSA Funds UW Fetal Alcohol & Drug Unit for Trauma Services for Pregnant, Parenting Women & Children

The UW's Fetal Alcohol & Drug Unit was awarded funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under a program for Residential Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PPW). The federal program expands the availability of comprehensive, residential substance abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery support services for pregnant and postpartum women and their minor children -- including services for non-residential family members of both the women and children.

FADU's new project, Partnership for Families will enhance the availability of trauma-informed, evidence-based intervention services for pregnant and parenting women and their children living at Perinatal Treatment Services, a long-term residential substance abuse treatment facility in King County, Washington.

The project will provide: (1) Seeking Safety therapy to the mothers; (2) sensory-based and trauma-informed parenting education and training for the mothers with their children; and (3) case management and services linkage to nonresidential family members, modeled on the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) and including a male case manager to work with fathers of the children. Over three years, the project will serve 150 women and 75 children in residence at PTS, and approximately 300 adult non-residential family members. 

The project is designed to improve the health and well-being of family members by delivering high quality trauma-informed maternal therapy, parenting education that responds to the children’s trauma-based behavioral and self-regulation difficulties, and comprehensive case management that meets the needs of the family unit as a whole.

Marijuana Legalization in Washington: Information for Voters

Marijuana Legalization is on the Washington state ballot in the November 2012 election (Initiative 502); the issue is also before voters this year in Oregon (Measure 80) and Colorado (Amendment 64).  

ADAI produced an Info Brief on this topic presenting a variety of resources to assist voters as they consider the issues regarding marijuana legalization, particularly in Washington State. 

Download Marijuana in Washington State, ADAI Info Brief, October 2012 (ADAI-IB 2012-04)

Privatized Liquor Sales May Have Unintended Consequences

An article in the June 1, 2012 Everett Herald warns that the new change in how liquor is sold in Washington state may lead to increased drinking and more related problems.  Today is the first day that private retailers like Costco, Safeway, QFC and many others can sell bottled liquor.  Previously, liquor could only be sold in state-owned or state-licensed liquor stores.

Experts believe sales of spirits will increase significantly with increased availability and convenience in the purchase of alcohol, with possible negative consequences.  

"What impact will convenience have on drinking? There's been real clear research across time," notes Dennis Donovan, director of the UW Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute and a professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. "Privatization of alcohol and ease of access has increased use."

Mary Segawa, alcohol awareness program manager with the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said research on privatized sales shows big shifts in alcohol use.

She points to an scientific study in the April 2012 issue of American Journal of Preventative Medicine which reviewed 17 studies looking at the impact of privatization of alcohol sales on per capita consumption.  Taking those 17 studies together -- they included self-reporting of consumption in U.S. and European markets -- there was an increase of more than 40 percent in sales of privatized alcoholic beverages.

Read the full story online.

What You Can Do to Prevent Fatal Overdoses from Heroin, Prescription Opiates

Doctors, patients, friends and family can take some specific steps to curb the risk of fatal overdoses from heroin and opiate use, say Caleb Banta-Green, Ron Jackson and Joseph Merrill in a guest column in the Seattle Times, published online on April 18, 2012.

In 2010, 570 people died from opiate-involved overdoses (heroin and/or prescription-type) in Washington state, up from 188 in 1995. This column lays out practical advice to patients, families, and professionals on how to prevent, recognize and intervene in an overdose. Read the full column ...

More information on the StopOverdose.org website.

 

Help Curb Overdose Deaths By Calling 911

The Seattle Police Department along with public health officials and researchers from the University of Washington are stepping up a campaign to educate the public about Washington State's 911 Good Samaritan Law, enacted in 2010 to help prevent deaths from overdose of heroin and other opiates.

The law provides legal immunity to people who call for medical assistance for drug users who overdose.  It also allows the prescribing of an opioid antidote medicine (Naloxone) to drug users and their partners. 

The Seattle Police Department released a new training video about naloxone and the importance of calling 911 when an overdose is suspected.

WATCH

 

For more information, visit the StopOverdose.org website.