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Treating Addiction as a Disease: Expanding our Healthcare Workforce

September 16, 2011 at 4:20 PM ET by ONDCP Staff
Summary: 
By 2020, about 7,000 addiction medicine doctors will be needed to care for an estimated 27 million patients who have a substance use disorder. ONDCP is working with our partners in the field to help meet this challenge.

The Obama Administration supports a public health approach to reducing drug use in America.  That is why ONDCP is working to integrate treatment for substance use disorders into mainstream health care.  As part of this effort, we are addressing the challenge of ensuring that there will be enough health care professionals that are properly trained in how to treat substance abuse.   Education and training will be particularly critical in the coming years.  We anticipate that by 2020, about 7,000 addiction medicine doctors will be needed to care for an estimated 27 million patients who have a substance use disorder.
 
One of our  key partners in this effort is the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) which is hosting the National Conference on Addition Disorders (NCAD) this week.