by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Opioids, Uncategorized
Last night Franklin County, Ohio was featured on a CNN broadcast covering the nation’s opiate epidemic. In a period of a week and a half, our county experienced a staggering 28 overdose deaths, including 10 in just one day. The problem is so bad that the Coroner’s Office has had to use a temporary morgue because they can’t keep up with the workload. This is an astounding statistic for the Central Ohio county that’s home to the Governor, the Statehouse and The Ohio State University, especially considering the funds these entities have allocated to combat the Opioid Crisis.
As a member of this community, there was a feeling of shame to hear CNN state “this county has now become known for opioid overdose deaths.” So how are nationwide rates of overdoes decreasing, but not in Franklin County? The answer is simply fentanyl. Columbus’ geographic location that has enabled businesses to succeed has been equally advantageous for the trafficking of illicit drugs. More and more we see fentanyl being laced into the supply, and it’s having a devastating effect on our citizens.
People with the disease called Substance Use Disorder (SUD) don’t know what they’re buying on the streets, and one recovering user related the influx of fentanyl to playing ‘Russian roulette.’ So how as a community can we prevent our fellow Buckeyes from overdosing from this deadly drug? We need to get them into medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This is why at Apportis, we have a developed a frontline capture tool, designed to get those suffering from SUD into treatment via telemedicine. In Central Ohio, let’s be apart of the solution and not just another statistic!
To see the full CNN broadcast please visit: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2020/02/18/ohio-opioid-deaths-fentanyl-newday-pkg-vpx.cnn
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Opioids
This morning I came across an article on Vox, from an author who I have been following closely since I began my journey with Apportis. Each article he writes is as captivating as his others, and focuses on the problems that stemmed from the opioid epidemic that is plaguing our country. This article highlighted the lack of adequate treatment for those who are incarcerated.
Prior to reading this I had never thought about what this population has to go through to get clean, and the struggles they face once they are incarcerated. The statistics are alarming on all accounts.
In the United States, we are known for locking up more people per capita than any other nation. In our Federal Prisons alone, around 45% of inmates are convicted for drug offenses, according to the Bureau of Federal Prisons. With such a huge population of people incarcerated, what harm reduction methods are they using to alleviate their drug dependency?
If you are not “well-versed” in this space like myself, it would help by explaining that Suboxone, also known as Buprenorphine, is considered the “gold-standard” for opioid addiction treatment. It is one of the three federally approved opioid addiction medications used for treatment, along with Methadone and Naltrexone. There our plenty of clinical studies that show they saves lives. So why is it that only 2 of the 50 states offer all 3 of the federally proven M.A.T. certified medications to their prisoners? The other 48 states and the federal government offer them only in limited circumstances or not at all.
“The lack of adequate treatment in jails and prisons puts a vulnerable population of around 2.3 million people at risk. About 58% of people in state prisons and about 63% of those sentences in jails meet the definition for drug dependence or misuse, compared to 5% of the general population.” (2017 Report of Bureau of Justice Statistics)
One study found that ex-inmates risk of fatal overdose is 129 times as high as it is for the general population during the 2 weeks after their release. This is a staggering statistic that baffled me. In 1 of the 2 states that offer all 3 of the M.A.T. certified drug treatments, Rhode Island, are finding a 60% drop in overdose deaths among recently released inmates.
Many local and state lawmakers, jail and prison officials remain skeptical on “replacing one drug with another,” even though states like Rhode Island and Vermont are showing these issues can be overcame. With the building momentum of positive statistics, in time I believe it will help break this stigma and give hope for this vulnerable population across our country.
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Mental Health
Ohio State Basketball star-freshman, DJ Carton, has decided to put his career on pause to focus on working through ongoing mental health issues. Carton said in a public announcement “If you’re going through mental health issues, I have learned through this that you are loved and valued.” This is an extremely mature and profound statement from the 19 year old student athlete.
It is common place for college students to feel overwhelmed by their workload. Add competing as a NCAA D1 athlete to a preexisting condition, and it’s no wonder Carton feels the need to work on himself. Far too often undergraduates are inundated with stressors that result in anxiety, depression, etc. However, less that 25 percent of people with depression receive adequate care. It is time for universities to take responsibility and offer a tool to their students to help cope with the mental health crisis today’s young people are facing.
The core of Ohio State’s mission is the Research and Development of products that help the university and can be shared with the community. This is why Apportis has began engagements with OSU’s Smart Cities Initiative. We are working towards piloting our telemental health technology, so that OSU students have a tool to access providers at their time of need. Our solution will enable the university’s Counseling and Consultation Service to reach students in their exact Moment of Readiness™.
Full article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28602887/ohio-state-dj-carton-takes-leave-cites-mental-health
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Opioids
Such a sad topic for discussion, but a topic that NEEDS to be brought to light and involved more in the public discussion of the pending settlements between pharmaceutical companies and the state of Oklahoma. As states, cities, counties and even hospitals continue to go after drug companies in court, the inclusion of infants suffering with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). The care for newborns with NAS is costing Medicaid, billions of $$$’s. Case numbers for NAS have quadrupled in the past few years due to the incline of the opioid crisis. 30,000 babies with the condition are born every year in the United States. Which is about 1 every 15 mins.
Just like every other section of concern that the opioid crisis has brought to light, “there are many needs, but no simple fix. Those who work with mothers in recovery fear any opioid settlement money may be spread so thin that it doesn’t benefit their children — the next generation of the crisis.” (Farmer, 2019)
Farmer, Blake. “In The Fight For Money For The Opioid Crisis, Will The Youngest Victims Be Left Out?”Kaiser Health News, 13 Dec. 2019, khn.org/news/in-the-fight-for-money-for-the-opioid-crisis-will-the-youngest-victims-be-left-out/.
by Eric Ulchakere | May 20, 2020 | Opioids
As the Opioid Crisis continues to ravage our country, more and more individuals are in need of treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). Addiction has saturated every community and demographic throughout the US, however there are still barriers to receiving effective treatment for this disease. One hospital in Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian, has turned to an unconventional way of getting more SUD patients into treatment: ‘certified recovery specialists.’
These are licensed medical professionals, who once battled through the horrors of addiction, and won. Nevertheless, these peer-support personnel understand the long journey to overcoming SUD, which for some often takes decades. Their unique perspective as a peer hurdles a common barrier to treatment, the stigma of addiction. At Presbyterian the recovery specialists work in the ER, and because they have firsthand experience they appeal to those hospitalized from drug use to seek medically necessary treatment.
Recovery specialists have a unique lens to addiction medicine and understand that not everyone is ready and willing to make a change. Often times the best course is to educate about harm reduction and treatment options for when that moment of readiness comes. This is why we’ve created the ‘Get Help Now Foundation’ which seeks to develop and fund peer supporter certification, wages, and health insurance for those seeking to make a difference in their community.
To read the full article about Penn Presbyterian click on the following link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/opioid-addiction/penn-presbyterian-treatment-peer-specialist-addiction-20191129.html
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