Volume 68 Number 1 January 2001	back to contents

Methadone Advocacy: The Voice of the Patient	75-78
Joycelyn Woods, M.A.
Address correspondence to Joycelyn Woods, 222 West 77th Street, New York, NY 10024.

ABSTRACT
This decade will see great strides in the acceptance of methadone treatment for heroin addiction, as a result of clear scientific and clinical evidence of its efficacy, and strong methadone advocacy. The new proposal for rule making (NPRM) will help the medical profession accept methadone treatment as beneficial for opiate addiction and realize that it should be more accessible to patients from trained physicians in the community. This will be the first step in reducing the stigma and prejudice that continue to hinder the availability of this lifesaving medication to all who need it.

Methadone advocacy has grown into a powerful network of groups working toward the same major goals. As the premier methadone advocacy organization and the voice for methadone patients, the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA) will promote the view that methadone patients are to be judged by the contributions they make to their families and communities.

KEY WORDS
Methadone advocacy, patient rights, stigma, staff and professional attitudes

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