The U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, greets patient Gloria Harrison as other patients look on.
The United States Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, recently visited Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Opioid Treatment Program at East 125th Street, one of the hospital’s 11 licensed addiction treatment clinics, to get a first-hand view of a facility that is successfully addressing the nationwide opioid epidemic. Mount Sinai’s model opioid treatment program was among the sites recommended to Dr. Murthy by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Dr. Murthy received an overview of the program and participated in a roundtable discussion with program leadership and staff about the growing abuse of opioids. He learned how Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s program—one of the first and now the largest in the United States—is transitioning from centers that primarily provide methadone treatment to comprehensive outpatient programs that offer onsite, integrated addiction treatment, primary care, and behavioral health care. The East 125th Street program is the first Mount Sinai Beth Israel clinic to offer this comprehensive care.
“We discussed how collaboration at the community level is also a critical component of success,” says Grant Mitchell, MD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, who points out that leadership and staff regularly meet with elected officials and community members to get updates and obtain input on how best to serve patient needs. Dr. Murthy also visited the methadone medication area, an integrated care unit, and a female-only clinic, where he spoke privately with patients.
Adds Dr. Mitchell: “Dr. Murthy’s visit was a wonderful opportunity to offer suggestions that may have the potential to influence national policy on opioid addiction treatment—or even serve as an example for others.”