On May 18-22, 2024, thirteen Connecticut Counseling Centers, Inc. (CCC) staff members traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend the 2024 American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) conference. The AATOD Conference convenes every 18 months and is the premier international conference on treatment for opioid use disorders. Over 1700 professionals representing 13 different countries attended the conference. This year’s conference theme was “Treating Opioid Use Disorders: So Much More Than Medication,” and many of the workshops reflected this theme. We heard from experts from around the world who shared the latest research, developments, and state-of-the-art treatment innovations relating to the treatment of opioid dependence. I continue to be very proud of the leadership role that CCC has maintained in our field over the past 40 years. Once again, CCC played a major role at the conference, with several members of our leadership team presenting three workshops, a Poster Presentation, and facilitating a Hot Topic Roundtable Discussion Forum. These presentations are listed below. Alan Nolan, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations, and Jeff Greenblatt, MA, LADC, Norwalk Program Director, presented the poster “The Impact of Methadone Dosing on Fentanyl: An 18-Month Follow-up.” Mark Kraus, MD, Chief Medical Officer, and Alan Nolan, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations, facilitated the Hot Topic Roundtable Discussion Forum “Navigating the Fentanyl Crisis: Implications for MAT Treatment Guidelines”. Alan Nolan, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations, presented the workshop “Therapeutic Partnerships: The Most Important Evidence-Based Practice.” Alan Nolan, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations, presented the workshop “Seeking Safety in Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): A Model for Treating Trauma and Opioid Dependence.” Josh Noffsinger, LCSW, Meriden Program Director, and Alan Nolan, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations, presented the workshop “Avoiding Burnout and Compassion Fatigue: How Self-Care among Substance Use Professionals Enhances Patient Care”. Our CCC employees did an exemplary job presenting. All of their presentations were very well received, and feedback was extremely positive. As both the President and Executive Director of CCC as well as a member of the AATOD Board of Directors and the AATOD Conference Planning Committee, I am very proud of our CCC presenters. Conferences like AATOD play a critical role in ensuring that the field has access to new information and technologies. It also provides a forum for providers and state partners to collaborate in their efforts to improve and expand the treatment system. It truly takes a community to effectively address the opioid epidemic. It was gratifying to see representatives from several other Connecticut providers as well as representatives from multiple Connecticut state agencies at the conference. We all will continue to collaborate in our efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths and increase access to effective treatment and recovery services! Robert C. Lambert, MA, LADC President and Executive Director

Connecticut, like most states, has been experiencing a significant increase in accidental opioid overdose deaths. In Connecticut, there have been 1378 drug overdose fatalities in 2020, a 14.6% increase over the previous year. The data for 2021 is not yet finalized but is on track to exceed 2020 with 1,508 overdose deaths confirmed to date. Many of these overdose deaths involved the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, which is many times more powerful than heroin. In 2020 and 2021, 85% of overdose deaths involved fentanyl.