The group that oversees substance-abuse treatment in Baltimore has received a $360,000 grant to help the city more effectively expand use of buprenorphine, a drug-addiction medication.
Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems Inc. announced yesterday that the money from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will be used to help city officials streamline the process of expanding a program that has treated nearly 700 patients in six participating clinics to one that aims to eventually treat 10,000 addicts.
"This investment will help us further maximize the benefits of buprenorphine while further minimizing the risks," city Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein said in a statement.
He said the money also would be used to determine what systemwide data would be best to track, such as results of urine screens that would determine whether patients are taking their pills.
The city has spent more than $1 million on its buprenorphine initiative, recently received nearly $1 million from the state and is asking for $5 million more from Maryland lawmakers.