Pubdate: Mon, 28 Apr 2014
Source: Republican, The (Springfield, MA)
Copyright: 2014 The Republican
Contact: http://www.masslive.com/contactus/
Website: http://www.masslive.com/republican/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3075

STATE MUST STEP UP TO HELP DRUG ADDICTS GET PROPER TREATMENT

Pity the heroin or painkiller addict in Massachusetts who wants to
kick the lethal habit.

Sound like a strange statement?

There are many barriers to getting -- and staying -- clean in
Massachusetts. It's a lot easier to get another fix (or get into
detoxification following an arrest) than it is to find a bed in a
detoxification facility or a longer term stay in in-patient treatment
or sober housing. Insurance companies, including MassHealth, make it
difficult for addicts to get the help they need, according to many who
have studied addiction and attempted to help addicts. That must change
immediately.

The Senate Special Committee on Section 35 and Drug Addiction heard an
earful today at Providence Hospital as part of its listening tour.

Chaired by Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster, the committee heard
from doctors, nurses, district attorneys, and treatment providers who
outlined the difficulties and successes in getting addicts into treatment.

But first a word about the cause: Lest there be any doubt about the
root of the problem, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan
threw out some alarming statistics in his testimony. Four out of five
heroin addicts found their way to it through pain medications.
Sullivan and others blame the distributors of OxyContin for pedaling
the highly addictive pills in cases that didn't warrant it in the 1990s.

Sullivan also gave a bit of perspective: With 4.6 percent of the world
population, 99 percent of all hydrocodone is consumed by Americans; 80
percent of all opioid pill consumption is by Americans. More Americans
die of opioid pain pill overdoses than heroin and cocaine overdose
combined, he said.

"We are in the midst of a public health crisis," the district attorney
said. "We cannot, and should not, try to arrest and incarcerate our
way out of this."

But that's just what's happening right now.

The only detoxification or treatment beds available in Franklin and
Hampshire counties is the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
Northampton, open only to veterans.

Drying out might actually be easier in jail than elsewhere. In fact,
one mother of an addict, who happens to be an assistant district
attorney, said she knows of many families who will call police in
order to get their addicted relatives help for addiction.

Sullivan calls for the following steps to help address the
crisis:

* Medically supervised treatment beds;

* Half-way house beds;

* Real-time monitoring of painkiller prescriptions, a program he's
using developed by 16-year-old Ben Pottee;

* Interstate prescription drug monitoring;

* Economic incentives for creating well run (and regulated) sober
houses;

* Adding in-patient treatment beds;

* Adding partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment and
counseling;

* Supporting medically assisted treatment, which has been shown to be
effective to keep recovering addicts from using.

In addition, he recommends establishing permanent collection points
for prescription pills. Already in place in Hampshire and Franklin
counties, some 400 to 450 pounds of pills are dropped off and
incinerated per month.

Most of these ideas aren't cheap.

But the cost of addiction is too high not to take heed and offer what
addicts need to have a fighting chance at recovery.
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MAP posted-by: Matt