Advocacy Alert: Nominations Open for the Richard Lane/Robert Holden Patient Advocacy Award

September 17, 2020

Richard Lane was a long-term heroin user who, upon release from prison in 1967, was instrumental in establishing one of the Nation's first opioid treatment programs. In 1974, he became the Executive Director of Man Alive and later served as Vice President of the American Methadone Treatment Association (now AATOD) and as Vice Chairman of the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Maryland. Mr. Lane was a passionate advocate for methadone treatment (the only medication available for opioid use disorder at the time) and, by disclosing his own treatment experiences, provided inspiration to patients and colleagues alike.

Robert Holden was also a recovering heroin user, who later became the Director of PIDARC, an outpatient opioid treatment program in the District of Columbia. He was a friend of Richard Lane and succeeded Richard Lane's term of office as the Vice President of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence. This award was established in 1995 and recognizes extraordinary achievements in medication assisted treatment (MAT) patient advocacy.

The following criteria should be applied in making your selection:

• Only one (1) nominee can be submitted by NAMA Recovery to the Conference Awards Committee. There may be a number of nominees, however only one (1) "consensus" nominee may receive this honor.
• The nominee must have been involved in the field of medication assisted treatment (MAT) advocacy for a period of five (5) years.
• The nominee must have made meaningful and consistent contributions, which have had a significant impact on opioid treatment within a state or region of the United States.
• For each nominee, a nomination form must be completed and submitted with two (2) letters of support. The nomination form can be downloaded from the NAMA Recovery website and the President's Blog.

NAMA Recovery will be responsible for collecting all the submissions for nomination and selecting a committee of advocates that will decide on the final candidate. The candidate's name, nomination form, and at least two (2) letters of support describing the nominee's achievements will be submitted to the AATOD Conference Awards Committee for the final approval.

The deadline for submissions is October 10, 2020. The completed nomination form along with at least two (2) letters of support should be sent to Joycelyn Woods at edirector@methadone.org.

This award will be bestowed upon the recipient during the Awards Banquet Ceremony on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, during AATOD's next National Conference. which will convene at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The recipient will be provided with a roundtrip coach class airfare, up to two (2) nights in the hotel, and conference registration.

Questions? Concerns?

As always, we want your input.

A reminder that BHAP members get regular access to our advocate in Washington, DC. If you have any questions about BHAP's advocacy efforts, please contact us.