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Updated at 3:45 pm on September 20, with comments from Surgeon General Jerome Adams – A national campaign is needed to fight the epidemic of opioid abuse that has damaged many families and communities, said Thursday the American surgeon general Jerome Adams.
Adams and officials from the US Department of Health and Human Services visited the St. Louis area to discuss the challenges communities face in dealing with opioid addiction. In response to the crisis, health and social services officials announced this week that the federal government would provide states with $ 1 billion to fight opioid addiction, including $ 44 million in Illinois and $ 29 million. millions of dollars to Missouri.
Adams also announced a public education campaign on the dangers of drug abuse, which he said affected many families, including his own.
While visiting drug treatment strategies in Edwardsville, where he met with health officials and local officials, Adams spoke about his younger brother Phillip, who is in prison because of crimes he's committed to support his addiction disorder.
"I only wish we have programs available in this community," he said. "But people need to understand that addiction is a chronic disease but that effective treatments are available.
Adams said it was not enough for medical staff and first responders to be prepared for overdoses. People in each community need to watch for signs that someone has a problem.
"We want at least you to know what an overdose looks like and be prepared to react if you are in a high-risk area or if a person you know is at risk for an opioid overdose," Adams said. "Because anyone can save a life."
Adams and HHS officials then visited Circle Academy's High School Recovery School at Webster Groves and participated in a roundtable discussion on the opioid abuse crisis in St. Louis at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Original story of September 19th
The Federal Department of Health and Human Services is providing Missouri with nearly $ 29 million for efforts to treat and prevent opioid addiction in the state.
Nearly one-third of the money will directly reimburse clinics that offer drug treatment programs that use prescription drugs to reduce cravings and keep people in a state of recovery. Another third will support such programs in federally registered health centers, which have not always been as likely to offer drug-assisted treatment.
"The strong growth in these grants is aimed at improving access to evidence-based medical treatment for opioid-related disorders, particularly buprenorphine and methadone," says Rachel Winograd, director of the Missouri Institute for Disease Control. Mental Health.
The federal government announced grants one day before health and social services officials, including deputy secretary Eric Hargan and general surgeon Jerome Adams, visit the region to discuss the use of opioids in Canada. St. Louis.
In the past two years, the state has used similar funding sources to treat 3,000 uninsured people and distribute naloxone – also known as Narcan brand – which can reverse the effects of naloxone. an overdose of opioids.
This year's round of funding gives the state more than in the past, Winograd said. The additional funding will help Missouri enter into contracts with organizations to reach pregnant women, people of color and other at-risk groups.
"We are really trying to convince those most at risk of opioid use and overdose specialized specialized programs for both prevention and recovery," she said.
The state has begun to adopt a drug-based treatment model that favors drugs such as buprenorphine and methadone. Public health officials call them "maintenance" therapies. They are legal prescription opioids that reduce the need for an addict to use heroin or other illicit drugs or prescription opioids.
Experts consider drug-assisted treatment – as well as counseling and other services – as the most effective way to keep a person in recovery. Only organizations that adhere to the treatment model have received the money from the federal grant, said Winograd.
According to the state health department, 951 opioid overdose deaths have been recorded in Missouri. While the number of drug overdose deaths has increased over the past decade, the increase has not been as strong between 2016 and 2017 as in previous years – experts believe that the number of drug overdose deaths has increased over the last decade; epidemic slows down.
Winograd plans to meet HHS officials during their visit to the University of Washington on Thursday afternoon for a roundtable. In particular, she plans to discuss the effect of the opioid epidemic on African Americans in St. Louis, she added.
Representatives of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, local hospitals, advocacy organizations and the state's Department of Mental Health will also be present.
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