BRANDON  — A researcher well versed in the drug problem will present a talk titled “Treatment of Opiate Addiction in Vermont, Is it Working?” in Brandon on April 27, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Brandon Inn.
Richard Rawson, PhD, is a research professor at the Center for Behavior and Health at the University of Vermont and a professor emeritus in the UCLA School of Medicine. He has a 40-year history of addiction research and treatment at UCLA, where he has conducted research on many forms of addiction treatment.
He has worked with U.S. and UN agencies, including the World Health Organization, on international addiction projects in many parts of the world. He established a nonprofit treatment program, the Matrix Institute, in Los Angeles in 1984 and subsequently over 15,000 patients have received treatment in the Matrix clinics.
Rawson has published six books, 40 book chapters and more than 240 professional papers and annually conducts over 50 workshops, paper presentations and training sessions.
In the summer of 2015, Rawson returned to Vermont to establish a farm sanctuary. He has become involved in evaluating Vermont’s innovative response to the opioid crisis. He is currently traveling throughout the state, interviewing and collecting data from patients, family members, doctors and opioid users not in treatment, to evaluate the state’s effort and provide feedback for improvement.
This event at the 20 Park St. is sponsored by the organization Brandon Cares.