Opiate Overdoses Not Getting Enough Resources, Say Advocates

Monday, June 02, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Much has been done to combat the trend of opiate addiction and deaths in Massachusetts, but advocates in the Commonwealth would argue that more resources are needed to combat this epidemic.

Prompted by 185 reported heroin overdose deaths from November 2013 to February 2014, the topic of opiate addiction treatment has increased in popularity, with many addiction advocacy organizations focusing on trying to combat the recent trend.

“There are more drugs and fewer treatments available,” said Joanne Peterson, the Executive Director of Learn to Cope. “Not only is heroin a problem, but also prescription drugs such as Percocet and other opiates. A lot of younger people are beginning to start out with these prescription drugs and then moving to heroin because it is cheaper.”

Since being declared a public health emergency by Governor Deval Patrick in March, money has been allotted in the budget for additional treatment options, first responders have been permitted to carry Narcan, an antidote to opiate overdoses, and organizations have been putting more effort into educating people on the dangers of addiction.

A Change in Focus

Part of the issue with the opiate epidemic is that it is such a vast and all encompassing issue that efforts need to be made on multiple fronts. Although a push in the right direction is welcomed, more steps need to be taken to decrease the amount of opiate addictions and deaths.

“There is a push by the Department of Public Health to get more people into treatment but there are a lot of factors that could prevent that from happening,” said Dr. Ronald Pike, the Medical Director at AdCare Hospital. “Not everyone has insurance and there aren’t enough inpatient beds right now to take everyone in.”

While a lack inpatient beds and insurance may be huge issues in the addiction treatment field, Dr. Pike says that a change of focus is needed if we are to ever slow or stop the growing opiate epidemic. Rather than spending all of the money and efforts available on treatment, more attention should be paid to the education and prevention efforts.

“We have a problem in the treatment industry,” said Dr. Pike. “Treatment is a tertiary option for addicts; we really need to focus more on education and prevention efforts, which should start as early as grammar school. There needs to be more of an effort on the education front if we want this epidemic to stop.”

Catching Trends Earlier

Much attention has gone into stopping the opiate epidemic since it was announced by Governor Patrick in March this year that it had officially become a public health emergency in the Commonwealth.

Although the attention to the issue now is great, opiate addiction is something that has been brewing throughout Massachusetts for more than a decade.

According to statistics from the Department of Public Health, opiate addiction related deaths grew at a much faster rate from 2000-2006 than they did from 2006-2013. From 2000-2006, opiate related deaths almost doubled from 338 to 615. Although 2013 deaths are estimated to be the highest death toll of any year recorded – the exact figures are still being tallied – a growth from 615 to an estimated 674 from 2006-2013 pales in comparison.

“The nature of this disease is denial,” said Maryanne Frangules, the Director and Founder of Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery. “This is something that people don’t want to say is happening. It really is important to build a voice for people to speak up – which finally happened with heroin. Hopefully we can look back on this as something to make sure that we stop other issues before they become epidemics.”

Selective About Insurance

Another issue that looms over the prevention and eradication of the opiate epidemic is the issue of insurance. While many treatment facilities accept all or at least most forms of insurance, others are much more selective.

“There are nicer facilities like ours that only accept PPO insurances; we don’t accept state insurance,” said Kevin Daurio, an Intake Councilor at Open Arms Addiction Treatment. “I think it would be better if more facilities accepted state insurance plans, that way we wouldn’t have to turn away people that need our help.”

Treatment facilities that only accept certain insurance plans are forced to turn away potential patients because addicts typically can’t afford to pay for treatment without the aid of insurance.

Daurio also attributes an improper focus on the issues facing addicts as a reason why the epidemic has been climbing over the years. Without focusing on the real issues – why the addict began to use – the addiction my never be solved.

“Addiction is a disease that needs to be treated properly,” said Daurio. “While many people tend to blame the addict, there are usually underlying factors as to why they began to use in the first place. People usually just treat the symptoms of addiction; we need a great emphasis on treating these underlying factors.”