New York Society of Addiction Medicine

For Patients

Addiction is a chronic disease of the brain that affects all facets of a person’s life and family. The suffering from untreated addiction is great, but there is hope and there are effective treatments. People with addiction can, and do, recover.

The following resources provide additional information about addiction medicine and substance use disorder treatment.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA is a governmental agency that leads public health efforts to advance behavioral health.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
ASAM is our national organization and has a wealth of resources and educational material on their website.

New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS)
OASAS is the regulatory body that is responsible for the coordination of state-federal relations in the area of addiction services. They offer a searchable database for outpatient and bedded programs.

Partnership for Drug-free Kids
Partnership for Drug-free Kids and Center on Addiction is a resource for families to help prevent substance use disorder and provide resources and support for recovery from substance use disorder.

The following resources are available for patients experiencing discrimination due to substance use disorder diagnoses, particularly for admission to skilled nursing facilities. The Legal Action Committee can assist with advocacy in these cases, and is reachable at 221-243-1313 or via this intake form.

  • 1 page flyer explaining why it is violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to deny SNF admission to people taking MOUD.
  • Longer resource explaining legal analysis under the ADA with a sample demand letter to SNFs that can be adapted and sent to a SNF (there is a link to a word version on page 8).
  • Case list citing several settlements that the US Department of Justice has entered into after finding violations of the ADA when SNFs won’t admit people taking MOUD. These are helpful to point out to a SNF as precedent that the practice of denying people because of MOUD is illegal and the right has been enforced by federal agencies.