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Media Advisory
Monday, April 6, 2009
National Institute on Drug Abuse to Unveil NIDAMED, Physicians’ Outreach Initiative
What: 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. 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 potential reductions in illegal and nonmedical prescription drug use. 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. The consequences of such drug use can be far reaching — playing a role in the cause and progression of many medical disorders. 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.
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
Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H.
Acting United States Surgeon General
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)
Vladmir Poznyak, M.D., Ph.D.
Coordinator, Management of Substance Abuse, Department of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse, World Health Organization (Invited)
Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Invited)
John Roser (aka “DJ Mink Rockmoore”)
Patient in recovery, referred to drug treatment by his general practitioner
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world’s research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA’s new DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or fax or email requests to 240-645-0227 or drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available athttp://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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