Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jan 2015
Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/letters
Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608
Author: Jim Moodie
Page: A3

BOARD ENDORSES DRUG STRATEGY

Multi-sector team tackles substance problems

Greater Sudbury Police and the Sudbury and District Health Unit are
issuing a collective Call To Action on substance misuse.

That's the subtitle of a new Community Drug Strategy for the City of
Greater Sudbury endorsed at a recent meeting of the police services
board.

Developed over a period of years by 50-plus partners in the health,
social service, education and crime prevention fields, the newly
released document will now be presented to city council for their
approval and used as blueprint going forward to address
substance-related problems in the city.

"The strategy is rightfully called a Call To Action because it
represents the recognition that we as a police service, and our
community partners, need to collaborate on a multidisciplinary,
multi-sector response to the issues and social costs associated with
substance abuse," said Deputy Chief Al Lekun.

Lekun singled out Brenda Stankiewicz, a public health nurse with the
SDHU, and Sheilah Weber, superintendent with the Sudbury police, as
the "guiding forces" behind the collaborative effort.

The strategy takes a broad approach to the issue of drugs,
encompassing everything from opiate abuse and overdrinking to advice
for pregnant mothers and safe storage of prescriptions.

"Substance misuse affects everyone," reads the executive summary of
the report. "From the challenges of keeping medications away from
children and teens, to alcohol misuse in teens and adults, to
experimentation with substances and addictions, and accidental
poisonings - substance misuse affects all of society."

The document cites a number of striking statistics regarding the drug
use in the city.

One of the most eye-opening, to Stankiewicz, is that 87% of student
users of opioid pain relievers report getting the pills at home,
according to a 2013 report by the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction.

"It's parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents, anyone who has their
medication out in the open and not stashed away," she said. "I say to
people, 'We don't follow our guests into the bathroom,' and that's
where we store all these pain meds. I'm not accusing all visitors to
my bathroom of looking through my medicine cabinet, but at the same
time, the stuff is there, and that's just an invitation to people."

Stankiewicz encourages users of prescription medication to keep their
pills in a less conspicuous place, as well as dispose of unused
medication by taking it to the pharmacy or hazardous waste depot.

"We need to get these medications away from potential misuse," she
said.

One of the most heavily abused forms of painkiller in recent years has
been fentanyl, which provides relief to legitimate users through a
slow-release transdermal patch. Abusers take the patches apart and
inject or inhale a much more potent dose.

In 2013, emergency services staff in Sudbury responded to 400 calls
related to drug overdoses, according to the drug strategy report, many
of them connected to synthetic opiates like fentanyl.

One way to counter that trend, said Stankiewicz, is through a
"patch-for-patch" program that is in the works for Sudbury. With this
system, users are required to return patches to pharmacies before a
prescription is refilled, thereby curbing overprescription and
circulation of the patches for illicit purposes.

Espanola is launching a patch-for-patch initiative on Feb. 5, said the
SDHU nurse, and Sudbury should be not far behind. While strategies
like this are essential, Stankiewicz said it's equally important to
increase awareness in the home and to connect with teens before drug
use becomes an issue.

"We have to educate parents what the drugs are on the street, and to
have a look for the signs that maybe your youth is using - or better
yet, how to talk to your youth, make them feel included, and establish
and maintain those relationships," she said.

It's an approach she recommends for any family member or friend,
regardless of age, as anyone can become susceptible to a drug if they
are struggling emotionally and aren't being supported.

"When people feel bad, or feel poorly about themselves, they often
look for something that will make them feel better," Stankiewicz said.
"It's unfortunate when people turn to medication or alcohol to make
themselves feel good. So if we as a society practise feeling good
about one another, that's something else we can do as part of education."

Other planks in the Call To Action include effective treatment
options; intervention strategies; working with police and the courts;
and enhancing partnerships with community organizations and all levels
of government.
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MAP posted-by: Matt