Today I joined House members in a unanimous vote to pass a bill that will allow any licensed health care professional to administer Narcan (an opioid antagonist) to treat or prevent a drug overdose. It also requires that municipalities ensure that emergency medical service providers carry the medication and are formally trained in its administration. In our local communities, we had over eleven deaths in 2015, and to-date there are two confirmed and six that are awaiting medical examiner review. I can’t help but wonder if any of these overdoses could have been reversed with a timely administration of this “rescue drug”, as it is commonly called among first-responders.
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In addition to expanding access to Narcan, the bill also expands membership on the statewide Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council, which is charged with submitting a plan that includes measurable goals to reduce the epidemic of opioid-induced deaths, to include various stakeholders in the field. The only way that this crisis can be addressed at the state level is for us to hear from those with boots on the ground.
Last week I participated in a local community panel where we heard directly from area experts and those who attended about the impact of heroin and opioid use on our families and community, and later in the week I shared in a statewide forum that convened communities to continue the conversation around the opioid and heroin crisis. It was hard to hear the emergency room physician speak about the many young women he has treated who were lucky enough to make it to the ER. It was equally disturbing, but not surprising, that the CT Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services reported in 2013 that almost half of the young adults 18-25 receiving substance abuse services are treated for opioid addiction—opioids are easy to get and share and many times leads to heroin use as a cheaper way to feed an addiction.
While the issue of opioid and heroin use has existed for years, Connecticut has finally admitted that we have a problem. Pending legislation around the topic range from requiring parental consent for opioid prescriptions to patients under the age of 18, having insurance companies review coverage in Connecticut around frequency of dispensing and availability of generic versions, and treatment of those with addiction residing in nursing homes to name a few.
If we are to truly examine this epidemic we must peel the onion down to the raw truth. We must realize that the system as it exists has failed. We must understand that the current 30 day treatment doesn’t work and that long-term treatment and a continuum of care must be part of the discussion. We must stop the stigma and allow those who need help and are afraid to seek it the opportunity to be treated—fear of discrimination keeps them in the shadows. And, we must, we must educate everyone about the risks associated with taking opioids, about alternative ways to manage pain, of the ease of access through medicines in the home. It will take a 360° look at the issue and any policy changes that we make must provide positive results in reducing opioid and heroin deaths in our state.