Description

In this episode of ASAM Practice Pearls, Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Mike Fingerhood discuss the importance of enhancing addiction care through community support and compassionate touch points. They explore how providing access to basic needs can serve as entry points into treatment for individuals struggling with addiction, the effect of compassionate interventions on clinical outcomes, and the challenges related to funding and community acceptance for addiction services.

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Host

Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, DFAPA, DFASAM

Dr. Stephen M. Taylor is ASAM's President and is board certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine. With over 30 years of practice experience, Dr. Taylor is dedicated to helping adolescents and adults overcome addiction and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. He has served as the Medical Director of the NBA and NBPA Player Assistance and Anti-Drug Program for 16 years and is the Chief Medical Officer of Pathway Healthcare, which operates multiple outpatient addiction and mental health treatment offices across six states.

Expert

Michael I. Fingerhood, MD, FACP, DFASAM

Dr. Michael I. Fingerhood is a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and Chief of the Division of Addiction Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Dr. Fingerhood created The Comprehensive Care Practice in 1994, a primary care practice largely devoted to providing care to individuals with substance use disorder. The practice has been innovative in integrating buprenorphine treatment into the primary care setting for over 650 individuals. He has also co-created novel buprenorphine treatment programs for a community center, church, and a mobile van outside the Baltimore Detention Center. Dr. Fingerhood received the Health Equity Leadership Award from the Baltimore City Health Department. He is the co-author of the ASAM Handbook of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Fingerhood serves on the ASAM Board of Directors as Ex-Officio, Chair of the Medical Education Council. In addition, he has co-authored over 80 research papers and received NIH research funding continuously over the past 30 years.

📖 Show Segments

• 00:05 - Introduction 
• 01:48 - Patient Letter 
• 04:13 - Redefining Harm Reduction
• 06:26 - Low-threshold, High-impact Intervention
• 09:30 - Translating Interventions into Clinical Outcomes
• 11:14 - Community Engagement and Overcoming Resistance
• 13:21 - Funding and Support of Care Touchpoint Programs
• 15:05 - Changing Mindsets and Moving Towards Acceptance
• 20:59 - Use of Test Strips
• 22:46 - Practice Pearls
• 23:51 - Conclusion and Additional Learning Opportunity 

📋 Key Takeaways

• Every interaction matters: A single compassionate encounter can plant the seed for change, reinforcing that every person is worth the effort and the investment.
• Stigma is a barrier to treatment: Reducing stigma through peers, integrated care environments, and direct patient relationships is essential to change how clinicians and communities approach addiction.
• Low-threshold services are high-impact entry points to care: Access to showers, laundry, naloxone, HIV and hepatitis C testing, and safe spaces restores dignity, builds trust, and often serves as the first step toward recovery and ongoing engagement in healthcare.
• Recovery starts before substance use stops: Labeling someone as "not ready" puts the burden on the individual; instead, clinicians should ask, "What can I do?" Progress should be defined by making today better than yesterday, recognizing that meaningful change can begin at any touchpoint.
• Peers are essential to engagement and trust: Peer support provides a nonjudgmental connection, helping individuals feel understood and empowering them to engage in care on their own terms.
• Compassionate care drives measurable clinical outcomes: Integrated, compassionate care models improve engagement, increase hepatitis C cure rates, support HIV treatment, and reduce overall healthcare costs.
• Community buy-in is critical for success: Engaging law enforcement, local leaders, and community associations, while actively supporting community needs, turns potential opposition into a partnership.
• Syringe services and naloxone distribution save lives: These evidence-based interventions reduce infectious disease transmission and overdose risk while creating opportunities to connect individuals to broader care.
• Make test strips available: Providing tools to detect unwanted contaminants such as xylazine or medetomidine helps individuals make informed decisions and reduce harm in an ever-evolving drug supply.

🔗 Resources

• The American Society of Addiction Medicine Handbook of Addiction Medicine, Third Edition
• Charm City Care Connection Impact Report 
• Integration of Buprenorphine Treatment with Primary Care: Comparative Effectiveness on Retention, Utilization, and Cost - Hsu YJ, Marsteller JA, Kachur SG, Fingerhood MI. Popul Health Manag. 2019;22(4):292-299. doi:10.1089/pop.2018.0163
• Targeting Community-Based Naloxone Distribution Using Opioid Overdose Death Rates: A Descriptive Analysis of Naloxone Rescue Kits and Opioid Overdose Deaths in Massachusetts and Rhode Island - Zang X, Macmadu A, Krieger MS, et al. Int J Drug Policy. 2021;98:103435. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103435 

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In support of improving patient care, the American Society of Addiction Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.