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LEGISLATIVE
CHALLENGES

There are an increasing number of store-front clinics offering 4. Have staff at the University Health Centers question all
addiction treatment, but these usually involve counseling by social patients about substance use, obtain lab support, diagnose.
workers or psychologists and few if any MD’s are included. Many 5. Help local physicians deal with the opioid crisis.
prescription medicines are available. Some old ones like 6. Work with the Health Department to improve at-risk patient
methadone and disulfiram are still used, but newer ones like detection, referrals, data generation and follow up of cases.
buprenorphine, naltrexone and others are having a huge impact.
With the marked advance in brain chemistry research, more agents AND TO THE BEXAR COUNTY
should surface soon. The availability of naloxone for opioid poi- MEDICAL SOCIETY:
soning has certainly improved survival rates in this crisis. 1. Work with the Texas Medical Association to develop CME
Some of these issues we will just have to accept, but there are for all its members.
others that we can change. 2. Coordinate local issues and problems with the TBM
and DEA.
HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE 3. Assist in lobbying for new government funding in
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM AND response to the opioid crisis.
MEDICAL SCHOOLS: 4. Become available to assist the University Health System
1. Include addiction medicine in undergraduate medical and the judicial and court entities of Bexar County.
education.
2. Establish a separate Department of Addiction Medicine Dr. Neal Gray is a retired anesthesiologist with a specialty in addiction
with faculty, clinics, inpatient space, staff and funding. medicine. He served as President of the Bexar County Medical Society in
3. Initiate a residency program in Addiction Medicine with 1992 and currently serves on the BCMS Physician Health and Rehabilita-
clinical, teaching and research activities. tion Committee.

visit us at www.bcms.org 21