By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Blogger
When rescue teams arrived on the scene, they had to break out two windows in her still-running truck to get to Debra Hyde and her eight-month-old grandson. Hyde’s truck was still in “Drive” in front of a large wall of propane tanks, when rescue workers found her overdosed on heroin in the backseat of her truck.
This is at least the second time in the past month that Ohio authorities have found a grandparent or guardian overdose in a vehicle with a child. Earlier in the month, Ronda Pasek and her boyfriend were found overdosed with a child in the backseat, and she is now sentenced to a 180-day sentence for a misdemeanor charge of “child endangerment.” In both cases, the children involved were remanded to the care of child services.
1,424 people died in Ohio, in 2015, as a result of drug overdoses. This has forced first responders to reconsider not only how they prepare for their jobs – Naloxone kits are essentially a “must,” these days – but, how they respond to the burgeoning epidemic that plagues their state. In Marion, OH, and across the nation, heroin has fundamentally altered the work of police and emergency-service workers. Police and paramedics are now expected to play the roles of social workers, drug-treatment specialists, and experts at connecting with kids in drug-prevention programs (as those of us who remember D.A.R.E. can attest).
Marion Police Chief, Bill Collins, told his officers to stop charging those who overdosed, while at the same time, he was making connections with religious leaders, healthcare professionals, addition treatment providers, and teachers to find ways to help better address drug addiction within his community. He followed the evidence: many addiction surveys indicate that a large number of opioid addicts became addicted to prescription pain killers after gaining access to their parents’, grandparents’, or guardians’ properly (or improperly) prescribed opioid painkillers and began using them recreationally. In addition, he noticed that many of the people who were being found overdosed had kids in local schools, which further indicated that a great place to start would be within the educational paradigm.
With these things in mind, Collins and his allies helped create the “Too Good for Drugs” campaign, that teaches age-specific strategies that students can use to resist drugs. The program won a $25,000 Ohio Department of Education grant to fund the ten-week program for 6th-12th grade students. Teachers were so passionate about the project that they volunteer to teach it. Officials are still waiting to find out if another grand to extend the program to K-5th grade students is approved.
But, beyond the fact that these functions are becoming unlisted job requirements in these fields, should law enforcement officers and other first responders be expected to fill these roles? What few people contest is that “something” needs to be done; beyond that, there’s little agreement between healthcare professionals, law enforcement organizations, and advocacy groups on exactly what that “something” is.
Do we need more treatment centers for drug addiction, both in- and out-patient? Absolutely. Do we need more qualified social workers and staffing resources to adequately address opioid and other drug addiction? Yep. Do we need to do a better job of providing these recovery and addiction services to people in more rural parts of states – areas where opioid and heroin addiction are currently hitting states hardest? There’s no doubt of that.
But, the reality is that all of these approaches, while both the “right things to do” and the best ways we currently have to address the problem, are costly and require resources that, on the state and local levels, may simply not exist. Further complicating these efforts is the seeming inability of our elected leaders at the Federal level to work together toward accomplishing mutually beneficial goals. For states currently watching their cities turn into drug dens with a body count, it really does seem like the time for them to just get it together, and get to work.
Disclaimer: HEAL Blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the Community Access National Network (CANN), but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about Hepatitis-related issues and updates. Please note that the content of some of the HEAL Blogs might be graphic due to the nature of the issues being addressed in it.