NIDAMED - April 10, 2009

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

Ed Jurith, J.D.
Acting Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy

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)

Maristela Monteira, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Advisor, Alcohol and Substance Abuse and Team Leader of Tobacco,
Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Pan American Health Organization

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