Medical science has signi cantly increased its knowledge of basic pharmacology and the receptor sites involved in addiction and the management of patients, Dr. Forrester points out. “As usual in medicine, there is much more to be learned and, as time goes on, I'm sure there will be newer compounds that will become available for treatment of these patients.” Another positive development is that “the government is nally taking a more critical look at the fact that there is a major need to help fund programs to assist these patients,”Dr. Forrester says. He also points out that more assistance is needed not just for those patients who are covered by Medical Assistance or other public plans, but also for patients who are covered by private insurance plans. While advances in medication-assisted treatment have helped make it possible to treat more people for opiate addiction, the treatment eld still faces a shortage of psychiatrists and addiction medicine specialists. Dr. Forrester says he receives two to three dozen telephone and e-mail requests weekly
from search rms seeking physicians for temporary or permanent employment. “In psychiatry and addiction medicine we are sorely understa ed. Congress has been considering legislation to make more funds available for addiction treatment. I don't know if – in the long run – that will lead to the creation of more comprehensive care systems, or to o ering additional funding for private clinics like ours.” To better respond to the current epidemic of opiate addiction, Dr. Forrester would like to see the government do more to one, acknowledge the problem; two, destigmatize addiction and treatment; and, three, provide additional funding for treatment. Going forward, Dr. Forrester believes that health systems, government and society in general are “going to be much more attentive to the needs of this population.”
New Life Addiction Counseling Services recently announced the appointment of a new medical director: Dr. Alfred Forrester, a psychiatrist with extensive experience in addiction medicine. Dr. Forrester's primary roles at New Life are to assess and manage clients for psychiatric and substance use disorders, conduct patient chart reviews and provide medical leadership for the New Life Executive Committee. At New Life, Dr. Forrester spends most of his clinical time assessing patients, making pharmacologic
New Life announces new medical director
PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE
In the addiction treatment setting, Dr. Forrester says he sees the psychiatrist's role as “pivotal” in providing patient care which complements the care provided by other caregivers. “He or she is the one who integrates information from a variety of sources; the one to whom the other caregivers turn to address the interface of emotional and medical issues,” he says. The pharmacologic treatment of addiction has been advanced by several recent developments, including the introduction of buprenorphine, a prescription medication for those addicted to heroin or other opiates. Buprenorphine acts by relieving the symptoms of opiate withdrawal such as agitation, nausea and insomnia. Buprenorphine is less addictive and has a lower risk of overdose than methadone. “It's been an advance over what we had, which was methadone,”Dr. Forrester says. Using the drug to alleviate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal makes it easier to get the patient to address some of the issues in his or her recovery, while being gradually weaned from buprenorphine, he explains. “Some programs believe in buprenorphine maintenance (for inde nite periods) as opposed to our approach, which involves starting the patient on buprenorphine and gradually tapering it over the ensuing months.”
recommendations in the management of major psychiatric disorders, and
providing follow-up medication management. He also provides ongoing psychotherapy to patients, either as an adjunct to or in the absence of pharmacologic management.
HIGHLY QUALIFIED
residents in the training programs at Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland and the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospitals; he has served as a consultant for community mental health clinics and been a member of the Towson University Counseling Center; along with maintaining an active private practice for the past 19 years. Earlier in his career, Dr. Forrester collaborated with investigators and coauthored numerous articles examining the relationship between the diagnosis of major depression and traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or myocardial infarctions. 47
New Life Executive Director Beverly Ervin says Dr. Forrester brings “impressive credentials” to New Life. Dr. Forrester received his undergraduate degree fromYale University and his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is board-certi ed by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and is a diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners; he is a member of the American Medical Association and the Maryland Psychiatric Society, and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Forrester has had privileges at several hospitals in the Baltimore area; he has supervised psychiatric
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