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MARTINSVILLE – The city of Martinsville will receive federal assistance to solve the problem of opioids. On Monday, the United States, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, announced that Virginia would receive $ 6.3 million and that Martinsville would receive $ 217,644 to expand access to addiction and mental health services.
"A problem of this magnitude will require a lot of effort, resources and time (to clean up)," said Nancy Bell, Population Health Officer for the Western Piedmont Health District. "All funds available for this purpose are appreciated."
In Martinsville, the problem was highlighted in a report released last summer by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He showed that more opioid analgesics are dispensed as prescriptions per person in Martinsville and Henry County than anywhere else in the country.
The report, Vital Signs, showed that doctors in a typical US city or county prescribe an average of 640 opioid units equivalent to morphine per milligram each year.
In Martinsville, this number is 4086.9. Combined with Henry County, this number becomes 5094.8. That's more than 1,000 units more than Norton City, Virginia, which comes in second with 3373.5. Danville recorded a rate of 1444.9 MS, Patrick County, an average of 796.7 MS and Franklin, an average of 826.7.
Both the Martinsville and Henry County Boards have taken action over the past two months to hold drug companies accountable. Both the city council and the supervisory board are considering taking legal action against the manufacturers.
Overall, in 2017, the Virginia Department of Health reports that 1,445 people died in the Commonwealth as a result of an overdose of fentanyl, heroin, or prescription opiates.
Last week, Kaine and Warner both voted in favor of a funding bill that provides about $ 5.7 billion to respond to the opioid crisis by creating an alternative. The money would be used to develop non-opioid analgesics, as well as training on behavioral health staff.
In addition, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced Monday that the Commonwealth has received $ 15.8 million from the US Addiction and Mental Health Services Administration. These federal funds provide targeted assistance to states fighting the current opioid crisis. The state government can use this money as needed.
"The complexities of addiction require interventions at all levels and we need all the resources we can get to perform these interventions," Northam said in a statement. "This federal funding is an essential part of our collective efforts with medical providers, community organizations and other local stakeholders to address the opioid crisis in Virginia. These resources will help ensure that treatment and support services reach all corners of the Commonwealth.
Northam said the grant would also be distributed to cities and counties, although there is currently no plan on how to proceed. The plan would be to use this money to support what Northam called "the prevention, treatment and recovery efforts administered by the Virginia Community Service Committees".
The grant also includes a research component in partnership with the Virginia Higher Education Collaborative to help CABs provide evidence-based interventions tailored to their needs.
"These grant activities will help develop infrastructure in our behavioral health system that meets the needs of people where they are, which is critical," said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey. a statement. "They will also help us address a wide range of substance-related disorders, not just those related to opioids."
You hear people talking about the opioid problem in Virginia, but what exactly does that word mean? The National Institute on Substance Abuse classifies opioids as drugs that include heroin, as well as powerful prescription painkillers. [That includes] oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others. The drugs are chemically linked and interact with the opioid receptors on the nerve cells of the body and brain.
Are they dangerous to take? NIDA officials have directed the Bulletin to this statement on their website, which states that "opioid analgesics are generally safe when taken for a short time and prescribed by a physician, but they are often misused ( taken differently or quantity than prescribed, or taken without a doctor's prescription), as they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief.
Regular use, even when prescribed by a physician, may be addictive and, in case of misuse or abuse, opioid analgesics may result in fatal overdoses.
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