Volume XIV, Issue XXI - May 2021

From:

David T. Jones, Director

Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery

New SAMHSA Buprenorphine Guidelines

The Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR) is excited to share an overview of the recently released Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder.

The opioid crisis continues to evolve and impact groups of people who use drugs differently. There is a significant community disparity in overdose morbidity and mortality, fentanyl has become the primary driver of fatal and non-fatal overdoses, the opioid and non-opioid drug supply has become increasing tainted by fentanyl, the pandemic continues to impact people who use drugs due to increased vulnerability and isolation, and there may be an increasing population that is seeking fentanyl as their primary drug of choice.

IDHS/SUPR has been and will continue to explore new ways to combat the opioid crisis, including facilitating the dissemination of information to the field of what is proven to work.

The purpose of this overview is to facilitate the implementation of the SAMHSA guidelines, and increase access to life-saving Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR) (pdf).

The intent of the guidelines is to impact the ongoing opioid crisis that continues to be ever present in the lives of some of Illinois' most vulnerable residents.

If you have questions about the summary, please contact the IDHS/SUPR helpdesk at DoIT.SUPRHelp@illinois.gov.