As the leader in developing clinical guidelines and standards in addiction medicine, the American Society of Addiction Medicine takes our responsibility very seriously. We convened the ASAM Caring for Patients During the COVID-19 (CPDC) Task Force to rapidly develop guidance tailored to addiction medicine treatment within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. These materials have been updated as of September 18, 2020.
While many states across the country are relaxing physical distancing and other restrictions put in place in response to COVID-19, people remain at risk for infection based on widespread community transmission and increasing population prevalence of the virus. As a result, the pandemic continues to impact the work of addiction treatment clinicians and programs as they strive to maintain safety for both staff and patients.
While many places across the country are starting to relax physical distancing restrictions, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Communities and treatment programs across the country remain at risk for increasing population prevalence over time.