Colorado’s fentanyl bill will force more people into treatment. Treatment providers may not be ready

[ad_1]

In the course of a single day, as many as 600 people can filter through this office, including perhaps half a dozen new patients.

“It’s non-stop,” said Diana Warrilow, the clinic’s lead behavioral technician. “I’m wearing my running shoes; he’s constantly saying ‘Go, go, go’.”

It may get even busier soon. A proposed new state law could send hundreds more people into the state’s addiction treatment system, and doctors are bracing for an unknown impact.

“We’re definitely going to have capacity issues. We’re going to have management issues and we’re going to need to have all hands on deck,” said Dr. Josh Blum, Denver Health clinic director.

The state bill focuses on fentanyl, the deadly and addictive synthetic opioid. Among other changes, the legislation would require anyone convicted of fentanyl-related charges to be evaluated and potentially ordered into addiction treatment, either at an outpatient clinic like Denver Health or a more intensive residential facility.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR NewsDr. Joshua Blum, who runs one of the busiest methadone clinics in the Mountain West at Denver Health’s outpatient behavioral health clinic for addiction treatment. Photographed at the clinic on April 15, 2022.

No one seems to know exactly what to expect from this change, as there is no firm statewide data on fentanyl cases.

In a cost estimate of the bill, legislative staff projected that about 300 people a year could face fentanyl possession charges, which can result in treatment orders. They arrived at that figure by estimating that 5 percent of annual drug possession convictions involve fentanyl.

Some advocates think the reality will be higher. In Denver County alone, prosecutors filed about 340 fentanyl-related cases in 2021. In El Paso County’s 4th Judicial District, they have filed about one case per day. (Not all charges result in a conviction.)

The goal of the new state bill is to “make sure you get the evaluation and recommendations for further treatment if needed, because fentanyl is more addictive than any substance we’ve ever seen,” said the president of the Alec Garnett Chamber. a Democrat who is leading the bill, in an interview.

Hart Van Denburg/CPR NewsMethadone Safety Seals for Methadone Doses at the Denver Health Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic for Addiction Treatment. Photographed at the clinic on April 15, 2022.

The issue of pushing more people into treatment has divided doctors, lawmakers and patients.

Some treatment providers, such as Dr. Blum of Denver Health, think an influx of new patients would be a good thing, even if it causes some temporary strains.

“I love the idea of ​​getting more people into treatment … because, honestly, people need that little kick,” said Blum, who is confident her clinic can scale to meet higher demand.

There is reason for optimism, especially in the larger clinics. Today, about 19,000 people a month receive medication-assisted treatment in Colorado, and the state’s 30 methadone clinics are able to handle that demand without putting people on waiting lists, according to state officials.

“I think it’s a good problem to have,” Blum said. “If there are so many people seeking treatment, it’s up to us to meet people where they are.”

But these large methadone clinics cover only part of the state. The system is overburdened in other areas, particularly for those seeking treatment in rural areas or residential facilities, where they may face long waits for care.

“We don’t have enough providers at any level,” said Rob Valuck, executive director of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention.

“We don’t have enough primary care doctors to do this. We don’t have enough behavioral health professionals doing this. We don’t have enough addiction treatment centers and providers that do this. We don’t have enough school nurses to do that. We don’t have enough.”

Hart Van Denburg/CPR NewsDr. Joshua Blum, who runs one of the busiest methadone clinics in the Mountain West at Denver Health’s outpatient behavioral health clinic for addiction treatment. Photographed at the clinic on April 15, 2022.

Waiting lists of months for residential treatment

In all, state officials estimate that more than 43,000 people in Colorado have an opiate use disorder, and an independent data source estimates that far fewer than half of those with addiction are currently eligible for treatment in Colorado.

“The state doesn’t have the capacity to support what this bill is asking for, in my opinion,” said Butch Lewis, executive director of the Colorado Association of Recovery Homes.

Lewis is particularly concerned about residential services, where care is more expensive and harder to find, compared to outpatient services like methadone clinics. Facilities where patients can stay for days or weeks while they learn to manage their addictions are few and far between. Many have months-long waiting lists and include hundreds of people, advocates said.

The residential approach offers benefits that medication alone cannot, said Breeah Kinsella, executive director of the Colorado Association of Providers, a trade association for substance use treatment services.

Residential treatment “provides the connection. And for some people who have been living in addiction for a long time, they don’t know how to live anymore,” he said. “These recovery services … teach you how to live again, in recovery, drug-free, surrounded by a community of people who understand.”

The Legislature isn’t doing enough to build residential treatment capacity, he said.

“They’re asking for treatment and there’s no money for treatment,” Kinsella said. “We can hardly do what is being asked of us now.”

More broadly, the shortage of all types of treatment is particularly pronounced in rural areas. An estimated dozen Colorado counties have zero or one doctors offering addiction treatment, according to state data.

Methadone Clinics In My Area – Methadone Clinic New York City – Methadone Clinics USA

Rocky Mountain PBS reporter shares her story of addiction and recovery

[ad_1]

I was molested at the age of five by a carer’s teenage son. From that moment on, some of my emotional development stopped and a void opened up in my heart. I spent most of my life trying to fill that space trying to achieve some kind of perfectionism, which for several years manifested itself in eating disorders. Then I discovered opiate pain relievers after they were prescribed after surgery for a labral tear in the right hip. From the first time I took them, my first thought was “THIS is what I’ve been waiting for my whole life”. It was perfect. I found perfection in a feeling.

Opiates gave me euphoria and energy. They helped me move on with my life. I could do everything; be the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect cook with a perfect home. But it was horrible because after a few months they stopped working and I had to take more and more just to feel normal.

Dana Knowles pictured with her husband and three children.

Eventually, an even worse cycle began. To avoid the terrible opiate withdrawal symptoms (hot/cold sweats, nausea, flu symptoms, body aches, insomnia, paranoia, stomach ache, diarrhea, and leg cramps), I would drink alcohol. It didn’t take me long to discover that alcohol could numb all of these symptoms. If my children had nowhere to be after 5pm; I would start drinking in the evening when I ran out of opiates. That pendulum cycle went back and forth for almost a year. I could stop all substances for a few days, but the opiate withdrawal would be so severe that I would go back to drinking.

After three months of treatment, I learned to deal with my trauma and process the things that trigger me. But I knew I had to find a way to maintain my sobriety and live my life. I discovered that there is no single way to recover from addiction. There are many solutions. I found mine in a practice called transcendental meditation. It’s my main form of self-care. It allows me to release stress and decompress my nervous system every day so that I can adapt to the demands and changes of life.

I also no longer use the words “self-improvement”; instead, I use the word “evolution.” “Improvement” implies that this is all a linear process and it is not. It took me three times in rehab to finally “get” sobriety. What I realized is that it has nothing to do with staying sober. It has to do with getting my mind right because I no longer need drugs and alcohol to cope with life.

Now I put myself first, even before my three children, because if I’m not healthy, I can’t take care of them. Now I laugh louder. i love myself more i listen better I rest more. I no longer try to have it all, do it all, or be it all. It’s just me and whether it’s too much or not enough for people is up to them.

Since coming out of treatment in 2016, I’ve had 20 friends die of overdose after relapse and two commit suicide. I often ask myself, “Why not me?” Part of the reason I’m no longer anonymous is because of them. I want my friends who have passed to know — wherever they are — that I speak for them To me, their deaths are not in vain. I know they tried.

Another reason I’m no longer anonymous is because I want all introverts, dreamers, sensitives, people with depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, or any other mental health issue to hear and see me, so they can hear and see . themselves and not be afraid to ask for help.

Dana Knowles is a multimedia reporter at Rocky Mountain PBS and can be reached at danaknowles@rmpbs.org.

Methadone Clinic Near Me – Methadone Clinics NYC – Methadone Clinics USA

People who inject drugs and develop a dangerous heart infection are called for addiction treatment

[ad_1]
(Chalongrat Chuvaree/EyeEm via Getty Images)

People who inject opioids or other drugs and develop a life-threatening heart infection require a unique approach to care that should include consultation with an addiction specialist, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.

The AHA’s previous guidance on the disease, called infective endocarditis, did not provide detailed information about how people who inject drugs are affected or how their care might differ from other people with the infection. The new scientific statement, published Wednesday in the AHA journal Circulation, addresses the gap.

Infective endocarditis occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and settle in the lining of the heart, a heart valve, or a blood vessel, causing inflammation. Of the more than 35,000 cases annually in the US, about 1 in 5 people die.

People who inject drugs are at increased risk of infective endocarditis if they are exposed to bacteria through the reuse of needles or other injection practices that are not sterile. Infections can also arise from other sources, such as poor dental hygiene, implanted medical devices, chronic skin disorders, or burns.

The new statement was prompted by advances in understanding the unique challenges of treating heart infections in people who inject drugs, Dr. Daniel C. DeSimone said in a news release. He is chairman of the statement’s writing committee and an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

“More people who inject drugs are getting this potentially fatal heart infection,” he said. The proportion of people hospitalized in the United States with infective endocarditis related to injection drug use doubled between 2002 and 2016, from 8 percent to 16 percent, the research found.

People hospitalized for infective endocarditis should be screened for substance use, and people who inject drugs should be treated immediately for the condition, the statement said. This treatment should include medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration to reduce opioid-related withdrawal symptoms to improve the patient’s chances of completing treatment for endocarditis.

DeSimone said the statement-writing committee agreed a multidisciplinary team approach for people who inject drugs could improve their long-term prognosis, “which is currently unfortunate for this relatively young group of individuals “. Their average age is 38 years.

This multidisciplinary team may include cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and infectious disease specialists, as well as addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry specialists, pharmacists, social workers and nurse specialists, according to the release. Nurse specialists can help coordinate care as the patient transitions from hospitalization to outpatient and community care.

“Without a multidisciplinary approach, these people are not only more likely to develop infective endocarditis and other serious infections, but also have relapses of infection,” DeSimone said.

People who inject drugs should be considered for heart valve repair or replacement surgery whether or not they continue to inject drugs, the statement said.

“There is no evidence that the indications for valve surgery are different for people who inject drugs compared to people who don’t,” DeSimone said. “However, some treatment centers do not offer surgery, especially if the patient is currently injecting drugs or has undergone previous valve surgery. Those who develop infective endocarditis require complex care provided by professionals who look beyond stigma and bias to provide optimal and equitable care.”

He added that more studies are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medications used to treat infective endocarditis related to injection drug use.

The standard treatment for infective endocarditis, six weeks of intravenous antibiotics, is not always possible for people who inject drugs because they often leave the hospital before treatment is finished. Research suggests that other options, such as shorter intravenous antibiotic regimens followed by oral antibiotics, or oral antibiotics alone, could help these patients complete treatment.

The statement also calls for better public education about safer injection practices and to provide people who inject drugs with supplies to reduce potential harm, such as tourniquets, bandages and sterile water.

If you have questions or comments about this American Heart Association news release, please send an email [email protected].

Methadone Clinic Near Me – Methadone Clinic New York – Methadone Clinics USA

Florida Sues Pharmacies Over Opioid Sales

The state of Florida is suing two of the nation’s largest drugstores, Walgreens and CVS, for allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis, reports the Associated Press. The lawsuit argues that these pharmacies have contributed to the opioid crisis in the U.S. by way of inflating the supply and demand for opioids in the state.

This is the latest action the state has taken in the fight against moneyed pharmaceutical interests, and this case will be added to an existing lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive opioid painkiller, OxyContin, and other pharmaceutical companies who have been accused of contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis in the country.

What do Pharmacies have to do with the Opioid Crisis?

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that CVS and Walgreens had failed to halt “suspicious orders of opioids” and the dispensing of “unreasonable quantities” of these drugs. The lawsuit claims that since 2016, Walgreens has dispensed billions of opioids from Floridian pharmacies. As many as 2.2 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed from a store in Hudson, Tampa, a shockingly high number for a city of just 12,000 residents. Some stores saw opioid sales skyrocket, increasing 6-fold in only 2 years.

It is Bondi’s belief that thousands of Floridians have suffered because of the actions of these pharmacies.

This isn’t the first time these pharmacy chains have gotten into trouble. Just 5 years ago, Walgreens was said to have paid $80 million to resolve a federal investigation into violations of record-keeping and dispensing requirements. According to related documents, Walgreens’ negligence resulted in controlled substances such as opioid painkillers being diverted for abuse and for sale on the black market.

What was the Response from the Accused Companies?

Walgreens declined to comment on the lawsuit. CVS, however, pushed back in a recent statement. Spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said the lawsuit was “without merit.” DeAngelis continued, “Over the past several years, CVS has taken numerous actions to strengthen our existing safeguards to help address the nation’s opioid epidemic.”

De Angelis assured the public that CVS trains its pharmacists and assistants how to responsibly dispense controlled substances. He also said that they are trained to detect potentially illegal sales. But is it enough?

While we have seen some progress in Florida—largely focused on the crackdown on pain mills, a system in which drug dealers send people to clinics to get illegitimate prescriptions for opioid painkillers—the opioid crisis shows few signs of relenting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. continues to rise and is largely driven by opioids. An estimated 130 people die each day from an opioid overdose. We must do more.

The post Florida Sues Pharmacies Over Opioid Sales appeared first on Drug Rehab Options.

Methadone Clinics In My Area – Methadone Clinics New York – Methadone Clinics USA

Addiction recovery has money but not enough workers in Oregon: NPR

[ad_1]

Staci Cowan has been a certified recovery mentor at Bridges to Change for the past three years, and most recently worked at their drop-in center called Club Hope. Celeste Noche for NPR hide caption

toggle subtitle

Celeste Night for NPR

Staci Cowan has been a certified recovery mentor at Bridges to Change for the past three years, and most recently worked at their drop-in center called Club Hope.

Celeste Night for NPR

Like many people working in the addiction field, Staci Cowan is herself in recovery. He started using heroin years ago after starting to take opioids for an injury. The loss of his job and his apartment followed. He found himself homeless when his mother was forced to draw a firm boundary. No more sleeping at home.

“The people on the streets, you think they’re there for you,” Cowan says. “But you quickly realize there’s no one there for you but yourself.”

Now, as a peer mentor at an addiction and recovery center called Club Hope in the Portland suburb of Gresham, Cowan’s job is to be there for other people. He recently celebrated four years in recovery. Listening to people is a big part of his job. She remembers what it was like to feel invisible.

Oregon has recently funded positions for dozens more of these types of jobs at facilities across the state, and many more jobs are on the way. It’s part of the state’s new approach to addressing substance abuse.

In 2020, Oregon voters approved a measure to decriminalize possession of small amounts of drugs like heroin and cocaine, while channeling hundreds of millions of dollars from a recreational marijuana tax to help people to fight addiction. The idea is to address substance abuse through public health channels instead of the criminal justice system.

Now, the problem is finding the manpower to staff this effort.

Club Hope in Gresham, Oregon, is part of an organization called Bridges to Change, which provides pathways out of addiction. Celeste Noche for NPR hide caption

toggle subtitle

Celeste Night for NPR

Club Hope in Gresham, Oregon, is part of an organization called Bridges to Change, which provides pathways out of addiction.

Celeste Night for NPR

Emotional labor has an emotional cost

“Passion is driving people into the field, and the other side of that coin is that it’s a very emotionally draining position,” says Monta Knudson, executive director of Bridges to Change. Club Hope is a facility managed by the organization. Knudson himself is on the mend. He says the emotional labor risks of both participating in and contributing to this work are high. They often lose customers to the street. Some die.

“You feel like, ‘Have I done enough?'” says Knudson. “There are all kinds of ways your mind plays tricks on you. And also just the sadness of losing people to a treatable disease.”

Recent money has made some difference. It allows many people in the Hope Club to earn over twenty dollars an hour, collected from the age of sixteen. But it’s still hard to find people for those jobs and keep them from burning out, Knudson says.

Monta Knudson is Executive Director of Bridges to Change. Celeste Noche for NPR hide caption

toggle subtitle

Celeste Night for NPR

The recovery workforce will have to expand in the coming years

These staffing challenges are instructive for states across the country, as the US will soon make a unique investment in the field of addiction recovery. Settlements with drug companies over their role in the opioid addiction crisis will soon make billions available to fund recovery and treatment.

But in Oregon, thirty percent of current jobs in the addiction and recovery workforce are not filled. That’s according to a survey by the Oregon Council for Behavioral Health. “It’s the biggest labor crisis I’ve seen in my 25-year career,” says Heather Jefferis, the organization’s executive director.

The Bridges to Change Employee Handbook. Celeste Noche for NPR hide caption

toggle subtitle

Celeste Night for NPR

The Bridges to Change Employee Handbook.

Celeste Night for NPR

This shortage, he says, has a direct impact on care.

On a recent morning at Club Hope, mentor Staci Cowan hands a man a towel and points him to the shower. People can come here to swim, eat, or just watch Netflix and warm up. They can also access social services. The idea is to allow people a way out of addiction.

But that model doesn’t work without mentors like Cowan, who offer not only resources but empathy.

This morning he talks to a man who has just had a breakthrough; he moves from the street to his own apartment. He is nervous and worried that it won’t work. “You have to change your thinking,” Cowan tells him. “Don’t even think about what happens next if this doesn’t work.”

It’s a brief exchange, but it’s these kinds of interactions that provide crucial emotional support to people in recovery. The first days are the hardest.

Dawn Marks is the program supervisor at Club Hope, a recovery center that supports people struggling with addiction. Celeste Noche for NPR hide caption

toggle subtitle

Celeste Night for NPR

These are the early days of this recovery funding experiment

Oregon’s program is still in its infancy. In its first year, an initial investment of $30 million has enabled an additional 16,000 people to receive addiction services. Hundreds of millions of dollars are still to come. Advocates are working to further increase pay for critical peer mentor positions, as well as make training programs more available.

Meanwhile, Bridges to Change Executive Director Monta Knudson says his staff is doing everything they can to take care of their own mental health.

Knudson says it would be unrealistic to expect this job to not have a high emotional toll. “I’ve never seen anyone who isn’t tied up in some way,” he says. Caring is work, he says. With care comes heartache.

Methadone Clinics Nearby – Methadone Clinics New York – Methadone Clinics USA

Humble House Ministries expands addiction recovery program

[ad_1]

Since Humble House Ministries Tallahassee opened its doors last June, the needs of Tallahassee-addicted women have become clear. With the ministry retiring 2-3 women a week since it opened three months ago, women needing more help than just a transitional home, we have realized that the need for a comprehensive program is fantastic.

Thanks to the community support of our launch in June, we will be doing an update

the Tallahassee House from a transitional housing program to a full 9-12 month recovery program beginning October 1st.

This program update will require the support of the community and donors to initiate and maintain it

successfully.

Highlights of the program:

• 7 beds available
• 3 program residents moving from Panama City
• Estimated monthly cost of $ 800 per resident
• Needs resident sponsorships; holding funds
• Follow the fundraising link for financial support: donorbox.org

The Humble House Ministries, Inc., with roots in neighboring Panama City, was founded in September 2020 and the need to recover from addiction is exponential. The first phase has been to provide a transitional housing program based on the Word of God, free of charge to those who cannot afford it. There are currently two homes in Bay County with a combined occupancy of 17 beds. The program has two

Program Graduates of the 6-9 month program.

Contact the program director, Brittany Seachrist, for more information at 850-624-5563.

Never miss a story – subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.

Methadone Clinics Near Me – Methadone Clinics New York – Methadone Clinics USA