Integrity House is proud to announce that our Chief Clinical Officer, Eman Gibson, MBA, LCSW, LCADC has been chosen to serve as one of a select group to participate in the writing of the 4th Edition of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria. The ASAM Criteria, first published in 1991, provides the national standards for conducting a comprehensive multidimensional assessment and determining the appropriate level of care for patients with a substance use disorder. These standards offer a model for the infrastructure of addiction care, including the types and intensity of treatment and the staff and services needed for each level of care.
Editorial subcommittees, each concentrating on a specific area of focus ‒ Assessment/Reassess/ Measurement-Based Care, Residential/Inpatient Care, Outpatient Care, Treatment Planning, and Withdrawal Management/Biomedically Enhanced Care ‒ have been formed to update the 4th Edition of the ASAM Criteria. Integrity’s Gibson is one of just three individuals, and the only professional from New Jersey, to have been chosen following a careful application process to serve as a member of the Residential Care writing group. This group will review and update the literature in the section of the ASAM Criteria that focuses on care in residential settings, better integration of biomedical services in the continuum, how recovery residences fit into the continuum of care and better integration of withdrawal management services into the continuum of care.
“As a nationally recognized non-profit substance use disorder treatment and mental health services organization, Integrity House is at the forefront of evidence-based care for those with substance use disorder,” said Robert J. Budsock, President and CEO of Integrity House. “We are immensely proud to have Eman as one of the select few to participate in the rigorous evidence review and formal consensus development process for the 4th Edition of the ASAM Criteria, and this honor reflects her expertise as well as Integrity’s commitment to helping individuals to achieve lasting, sustained recovery through an effective and measurable system of comprehensive addictions and mental health treatment.
As a member of Residential Care writing group, Ms. Gibson’s role is to work closely with the section editor, ASAM staff, and contractors to advance the development of the 4th edition through a review of literature findings and other available data to develop rules and standards and write narrative text for chapters or topics. Ms. Gibson will be responsible for attending two to four virtual writing group meetings per month and be available to ASAM staff and contractors for input/feedback on drafts and planning documents.
The 3rd Edition of the ASAM Criteria was published in 2013 and since the release, there has been widespread adoption of The ASAM Criteria by treatment programs across the country in an effort to improve their addiction treatment systems. ASAM aims to publish the 4th Edition in 2023.
Founded in 1968, Integrity House is one of the largest non-profit providers of substance use disorder treatment licensed by the state of New Jersey. Integrity’s robust outpatient and residential treatment programs, and supportive housing offerings, complemented by ongoing prevention and education services provide individuals with a path to long-term recovery.