A New Look for a Life-Saving Resource: The Redesigned MOUD Playbook
The AHRQ Integration Academy has launched a fully redesigned version of its MOUD in Primary Care Playbook, now easier to navigate and more practical than ever. Informed by user testing, the paybook features newly regrouped sections with fresh landing pages and an open, needs-based navigation flow, along with brief training videos to share with staff, a new workflow diagram for engaging patients in treatment, and new case examples for prescribing MOUD.
Behind this modern design is content that was recently streamlined and refreshed to reflect today’s MOUD environment—including key regulatory changes and emerging areas of concern—while reinforcing low-threshold, person-centered care. To keep the playbook content current, the Integration Academy conducts quarterly environmental scans to identify new evidence, policy shifts, and clinical guidance, and updates accordingly. Together, the redesign, refreshed content, and ongoing updates make the MOUD Playbook a more intuitive, practical, and powerful tool for delivering evidence-based OUD treatment.
Celebrating Recovery Month at BMC
On September 9, Grayken Center for Addiction proudly kicked off our Recovery Month festivities with the first of three events in our Recovery Month series, hosted by the dedicated Grayken TTA team.
The art gallery and open mic celebration began with a warm reception and refreshments, followed by a moving art gallery tour that showcased powerful works created by both patients and staff, thoughtfully displayed throughout the Crosstown Building and the Family Medicine waiting area.
The event concluded with an inspiring open mic session, where patients and staff shared heartfelt stories, poems, and reflections that captured the spirit of recovery and resilience. It was a true celebration of community, creativity, and healing.
We are especially proud of the Grayken TTA team for their dedication in organizing these events. Their commitment ensures that patients and staff feel welcomed, valued, and celebrated throughout this important month, and their efforts truly shine through in every detail.
Hear Our Testimony at the State House
BMC's Sarah Bagley, MD, and Jessie Calihan, MD, recently testified in front of the state’s Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery in support of bill S.1422, An Act relative to Narcan availability in schools, filed by Senator John Velis. This legislation would expand access to naloxone in schools by requiring schools to have naloxone available in the school nurse’s office as well as require naloxone training for high school students.
Overdose is the third leading cause of death among youth in the United States, but overdose deaths are preventable when young people can access naloxone and youth-focused overdose prevention education.
Grayken Researcher Briefs Congress
On July 17, 2025, the Friends of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) hosted a congressional briefing titled "Advancing the Science of Addiction Recovery" at the Rayburn House Office Building. The event featured opening remarks from Congressman Paul Tonko and included presentations from leading recovery scientists, including Nora Volkow, MD, (Director, NIDA), John Kelly, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital), Aaron Hogue, MD, (Partnership to End Addiction), and Boston Universities own Noel Vest, MD. The event aimed to highlight recent research advances and policy-relevant insights in the field of addiction recovery, particularly those supported by NIDA.
Vest presented findings from a multi-method investigation into collegiate recovery programs, emphasizing the role of student-led mutual-help groups, supportive campus cultures, and institutional leadership in fostering effective recovery support for students with substance use disorders.
A Celebration of Resilience, Connection, and Hope
A powerful embodiment of vulnerability and resilience, our two-day, annual event in Worcester, MA was a testament to everything the Grayken Center strives to achieve. Nearly 1,000 people gathered at the DCU Center to demonstrate support, solidarity, and a shared belief that no one is alone on the path to recovery. The event featured a powerful keynote address, open and honest panel discussions with Q&As, and workshops focused on inclusivity, lived experience, and the impact of substance use disorder.
She Found Addiction Recovery Through Musical Theater—Now She's Helping Others Do the Same
Elizabeth Addison was one week into her year-long stay at a women’s residential treatment facility for substance use disorder when she had an epiphany: her surroundings had all the elements of compelling theater, including inherent conflict, drama, and what she recognized as a hero’s journey. That observation in her late twenties has since developed into a distinctive approach and career combining musical theater with narrative therapy to help people living with SUD and trauma.
Now, in addition to her career as a national speaker, playwright, composer, lyricist, and creative recovery coach, she partners with the Grayken Center to promote treatment equity.