The opioid crisis is complex. Together, we can overcome it.

Every day, an estimated 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose – a grim statistic that has devastated families and communities around the nation. Due to the complex and urgent nature of the epidemic, reversing the opioid crisis will require a multi-sectoral and multi-pronged response; no organization, government agency, or sector can solve this crisis on its own.

To improve coordination and accelerate the pace of change, the National Academy of Medicine has partnered with the Aspen Institute and more than 60 participants across the different sectors to form the Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, representing critical stakeholder organizations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The Action Collaborative is committed to developing, curating, and disseminating multi-sector solutions designed to reduce opioid misuse and improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by the opioid crisis.

Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Examining Federal Regulations

Methadone, buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone are safe and highly effective medications that are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat OUD (NASEM, 2019). By alleviating withdrawal symptoms, reducing opioid cravings, or decreasing the response to future drug use, these medications make people with OUD less likely to return to drug use and risk a fatal overdose. These medications also help people restore their functionality, improve their quality of life, and reintegrate into their families and communities. Unfortunately, however, most people who could benefit from medication-based treatment for OUD do not receive it, and access is inequitable across subgroups of the population.

Stringent laws and regulatory policies pose substantial barriers to the provision of and access to methadone treatment. The 2019 National Academies report concluded that current regulations around methadone are not supported by evidence or imposed on life-saving medications for other chronic diseases. This workshop is designed to inform the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) efforts to address these challenges.

Stigma of Addiction Summit

The National Academy of Medicine, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, and Shatterproof hosted the Stigma of Addiction Summit: a half-day, virtual, action-oriented summit entirely dedicated to understanding, addressing, and eliminating the harmful impacts of stigma on people who use drugs. The goal of the Summit was to elevate current efforts at reducing stigma, identify successes and gaps in the evidence base, and prioritize and identify areas for future research and funding with an explicit focus on stigma, which is often touched upon only marginally in broader conversations about addiction.

Action Collaborative Leadership

Victor Dzau, Chair | National Academy of Medicine
Rachel Levine, Co-Chair | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Ruth Katz, Co-Chair | Aspen Institute
Jonathan Perlin, Co-Chair | HCA Healthcare

Action Collaborative Staff

Elizabeth Finkelman, Director
Aisha Salman, Program Officer
Noah Duff, Associate Program Officer
Radhika Hira, Communications Officer
Emma Freiling, Research Assistant
Bailey Radenbaugh, Senior Program Assistant

Events

Please visit our events page for a list of past events.

Sponsors

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
• Aetna
• American Hospital Association
• American Medical Association
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• Arnold Ventures
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• CDC Foundation
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Council of Medical Specialty Societies
• Federation of State Medical Boards
• HCA Healthcare
• National Association for Behavioral Healthcare
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Teladoc
• UnitedHealth Group
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs