Center For Network Therapy's Dr. Indra Cidambi Believes Governor Chris Christie's $100 Million Spend for New Jersey's Drug Epidemic Misdirected
New York NY (PRWEB) February 17, 2016 -- Governor Chris Christie plans to spend an additional $100 million to fight the drug epidemic in New Jersey, calling it “fiscally responsible” and “morally right,” primarily by raising low reimbursement rates that keep the poor from getting care. Dr. Indra Cidambi, an Addiction Expert and Medical Director at New Jersey’s first licensed outpatient detox facility, Center for Network Therapy (CNT), says that the money will be spent on sub-optimal inpatient treatment, missing the opportunity to spend some of it on innovative and effective treatment models.
“Governor Christie is right to focus on substance abuse treatment as the cost to society in terms of lost productivity and costs related to incarceration and court processes is huge,” says Dr. Cidambi. Last month, NJ Advance Media revealed statistics showing at least 128,000 individuals are addicted to heroin in New Jersey, and more than 5,200 have died since 2004.
However, Dr. Cidambi is not certain of the positive impact of Governor Christie’s latest initiative. “While the Governor has shown that his heart and brain are in the right place, more money will be spent on the same inpatient treatment modalities of care that have failed us over the past two decades, as substance abuse rates soared. It is time to try more innovative, cost effective and higher efficacy approaches to treat substance abuse disorders,” says Dr. Cidambi.
Just a few years ago, New Jersey made available a license for a new modality of care: Ambulatory (Outpatient) Detoxification for all substances of abuse. The Center for Network Therapy was the first facility to obtain the license in April of 2013. Since this model of care eliminates the overnight stay at the treatment facility, it is highly cost effective.
“Obviously, this level of care is not for everyone, but a good portion of individuals afflicted by a substance abuse disorder could benefit. Ambulatory Detoxification should become part of the menu of treatment options, as it will help tax dollars spent on substance abuse treatment go a lot farther. However, a smaller portion of this population will always need inpatient care,” says Dr. Cidambi. She pioneered the use of the Ambulatory Detoxification to treat substance abuse disorders in the state of New Jersey and she has been utilizing this modality of care at CNT for nearly three years. “For a patient with some level of support at home, the efficacy of treatment is significantly higher,” says Dr. Cidambi. “The patient goes home every evening and puts relapse prevention techniques learned at the facility into practice, and is able to come back the next day and process what worked and what he/she struggled with. We also involve the family in treatment, which helps to elevate the level of support the patient receives at home over the long-term and brings families together. It is rare in the medical world to find innovation that simultaneously reduces cost and increases treatment efficacy – when we find it, we need to figure out how to make it more ubiquitous, as it benefits both, the patient and the payor.”
For more information on substance abuse dependency, addiction and treatment, please go to http://www.RecoveryCNT.com.
About Dr. Indra Cidambi
Indra Cidambi, M.D., Medical Director, Center for Network Therapy, is recognized as a leading expert and pioneer in the field of Addiction Medicine. Under her leadership the Center for Network Therapy started New Jersey’s first state licensed Ambulatory (Outpatient) Detoxification program for all substances nearly three years ago. Dr. Cidambi is Board Certified in General Psychiatry and double Board Certified in Addiction Medicine (ABAM, ABPN). She is fluent in five languages, including Russian.
About Center for Network Therapy
Center for Network Therapy (CNT) was the first facility in New Jersey to be licensed to provide Ambulatory (Outpatient) Detoxification Services for all substances of abuse – alcohol, anesthetics, benzodiazepines, opiates and other substances of abuse. Led by a Board Certified Addiction Psychiatrist, Indra Cidambi, M.D., experienced physicians and nurses closely monitor each patient’s progress. With CNT’s superior client care and high quality treatment, Dr. Cidambi and her clinical team have successfully detoxed over 600 patients in nearly three years. The web site is RecoveryCNT.com.
Marisa Amador, Rubenstein PR, +1 (212) 843-9329, [email protected]
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