Jun 17, 2016
The Huffington Post published an extensive article on the state of the addiction industry relative to treatment models, financial investment, ethics, and the opioid crisis. The article is based on the Huffington Post's coverage of NAATP's 38th National Addiction Leadership Conference, The Addiction Industry at a Crossroads, in Fort Lauderdale last month.
I am pleased that our work is getting the attention the profession needs and the public deserves. The article raises numerous pertinent and timely issues for our work and disseminates some very valuable information to our members and the public.
The article by Ryan Grim, Washington Bureau Chief, titled "Addiction Treatment Industry Worried Lax Ethics Could Spell Its Doom" is at times appropriately critical of the problems of our industry. At the same time, it is imperative to point out two things:
1. The majority of addiction treatment providers, particularly NAATP members who have made a commitment to best practices and ethical behavior, continue to provide effective and lifesaving treatment, as they have since NAATP's founding in 1978 and before.
2. The overarching message and takeaway from our conference is a positive one: that we, as a collegial and values-based professional society of addiction treatment providers, came together, shined a light on a minority of bad practices, and committed to continue our mission to provide high quality and ethical services.
Rather than doom, therefore, it is opportunity and success that NAATP foresees for our work as we continue our four-decade-old mission to provide leadership, advocacy, training, and member support services to ensure the availability and highest quality of addiction treatment. The value of recognizing acrossroads, after all, is that it provides for an opportunity to steer in the right direction.
