The White House declared this week Overdose Awareness Week, boasting $22 billion of new investment to address the overdose crisis – including massive investments in “expanding access to life-saving medications.”

The New York Times this week reported a ~3% annual decline in national overdose deaths, and asked, “Has fentanyl peaked?” It hasn’t — and we’ve made this mistaken assumption before, with irrevocable consequences. Here’s what we know:

I’ve been a nurse in Ohio for three decades and, for the past ten years, I’ve been focused on Opioid Use Disorder patients. I have never seen a more effective model than the collaborative, whole-patient approach at Boulder Care.

Telehealth treatment for opioid addiction is working. Pandemic flexibilities helped Americans access life-saving medications like buprenorphine without increasing misuse. So why are we going backward? The DEA’s newly proposed “guardrails” are more aptly “roadblocks” for addiction patients and providers alike.

The COVID-era PHE made SUD care accessible in a profound new way. But that could all change once the PHE expires. Boulder has been preparing to ensure continuity of care for our current and future patients and is actively advocating for better regulations to help all people in need of addiction care.

Stephanie Strong, Boulder’s CEO, explains how powerful it was to hear President Biden acknowledge harm reduction and medicines to treat Opioid Use Disorder in his State of The Union speech, and what this change of heart could mean for the public health crisis going forward.

Ben MacLean, Boulder's General Counsel, explains how laws and regulations can fight against patients with SUDs and stand in the way of better treatment options.

Boulder Care’s Medical Director, Alyson Smith, and Community Justice expert, Jeremy Hubbard, explain why incarceration creates such dangerous situations for SUD patients -- and what can be done about it.

Alyson Smith, Boulder Care’s Medical Director, shares how rewarding working with SUD patients has been for her and how urgent the need is for more clinicians to do the same.

Jeremy Hubbard discusses what he learned in his 16 year career as a parole officer about what the criminal justice system gets wrong around substance use disorder, treatment, and helping inmates with addictions.