Bishop Perez joins panel discussion to share information, resources
Heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil are a triple threat in the fight against opioid addiction, which impacts all facets of society. The topic was tackled by a panel of professionals, including Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez, at a forum on Oct. 11 at Lutheran Hospital.
?We don?t like pain. We are pleasure-seeking beings,? the bishop said, and this contributes to the increasing problem of addiction ?We have created a culture to avoid pain and the medical field has helped,? he said, recalling one time when he had surgery and was given a 30-day supply of a powerful pain medication that he didn?t need.
?We can?t anesthetize ourselves completely from pain,? Bishop Perez said. Working with families to strengthen them could help decrease the demand for illicit opioids, he said. Also, he noted there are stigmas attached to treatment. ?We need to remove those stigmas so treatment is available in a loving, firm way.?
The opioid crisis pervades all societal demographics, according to Lutheran Hospital President Dr. Donald Malone, who moderated the forum. As a practicing psychiatrist for 32 years, Malone said he has never seen a brighter light shine on mental illness. Panelists agreed that mental illness and addiction affect a majority of addicts, which can make treatment more difficult, but necessary.
Other panelists were Valeria Harper, CEO of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County; Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg, who presides over the Recovery Court docket, a unique program in Ohio that supervises people with drug addiction and trauma; and Assistant United States Attorney Justin Seabury Gould, who supports federal agents and state law enforcement to identify, investigate and interrupt drug trafficking organizations.
Malone said Ohio is in the top tier of states affected per capita by the opioid crisis, with overdose deaths on track to reach the mid-60,000 range this year. Costs associated with the opioid epidemic in 2015 were $55 billion for health costs and $20 billion for emergency room and inpatient care, with both continuing to rise.
The potency of synthetic opioids is responsible for many of the deaths, Gould said, pointing out that addicts don?t know what they?re using or its strength. Carfentanil, for example, is 5,000 times more potent than heroin and fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine.
?A dose of heroin the size of a half-teaspoon of salt is lethal. If you take one of those salt-size grains and cut it in half, that?s a lethal dose of carfentanil,? he said, noting that drug was developed for use on elephants and is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.
Gould said there are ongoing, multi-jurisdictional efforts to stop the flow of drugs. Officials from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency travelled to China in an effort to stop that stream of drugs, as well as working with truck drivers, the postal service and delivery companies.
Harper said the constantly changing financial support for drug addiction and treatment programs makes it difficult to find a reliable revenue stream to aid those in need. She called the potential halt of Medicaid expansion ?scary,? noting many addicts learned they were able to seek treatment because of the Medicaid expansion.
?We saw a significant increase in substance abuse treatment with the Medicaid expansion. The knowledge that treatment works was spread and we could reallocate some resources to other needed treatment areas, thanks to that expansion. But we will have to shift funds again if the expansion goes away,? she said, adding that ADAMHS still must target funds for treatment of those who are uninsured.
She said administering Narcan can help a person who is overdosing. Many first-responders carry the drug. It is available at several local agencies and at least one pharmacy is working on a program to help educate the public about Narcan kits.
Bishop Perez said it can be difficult to convince an addict to seek treatment, but letting the person ?bottom out? and removing the support system is not the answer.
?Information and education are key. We need to get the message out with urgency about the potency of these drugs,? he said.
Harper said addiction traumatizes the family, as well. ?They worry about how they missed the signs or symptoms.? She said getting people to treatment immediately is important. Using peer recovery coaches, those who have been in the addict?s position, can help encourage them to seek treatment and to stick with it. She said ADAMHS also encourages emergency rooms to urge addicts to get treatment, especially those who received Narcan and the agency is working with law enforcement. ?But there is a need for a crisis unit for those who have to wait for a spot in a treatment program,? she added.
Bishop Perez said the Diocese of Cleveland is doing what it can to help fight the addiction problem. A series of forums is planned at area parishes this fall to educate the public on the problem. He said the diocesan website has a list of the forums.
?Catholic Charities also runs several treatment facilities and programs. Treatment works. Thankfully, people sometimes realize they need help and Catholic Charities tries to be there for them,? he said. ?The Church deals with things of the heart and soul that bring us all together.?
The Matt Talbot program us a long-established substance abuse program offered by Catholic Charities. Bishop Perez noted there was a recent expansion of beds for women at a former convent in Lakewood.
Synenberg discussed the Recovery Court docket ad how staffers work with Catholic Charities, ADAMHS and other agencies using all the tools available to help clients. ?Our goal is recovery,? she said. ?The idea of lock ?em up and throw away the key doesn?t work.? She also said relapse is not uncommon among those in substance abuse treatment.
?The client needs to be ready for treatment,? she said, adding there are ?swift, measured consequences for noncompliance, ?but we believe in lots of praise and there is a graduation ceremony every year.?
Synenberg said most clients are parents who have lost custody of their children and often are abandoned by their families. ?They feel guilt, shame and isolation. There is rampant homelessness. Enabling is not a helpful thing,? she added.
During the question and answer session, Bishop Perez was asked about using vacant convents for drug treatment facilities. Several already have been repurposed as treatment centers, ?but just because you have the building doesn?t mean you have the resources for the program,? he said.
Audience member Tom Strauss, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System, pointed out that Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in downtown Cleveland is one of the oldest substance abuse treatment centers. He said recently the partnered with Uber to provide transportation for clients to treatment sessions and saw a dramatic increase in attendance. The vacant former juvenile detention center, down the street from SVCMC, is another site that has potential for a treatment facility, he said.
A Catholic Charities drug counselor in the audience said, "We meet people where they are, in the neighborhood,? adding she works from another former convent in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland.
?Awareness is key,? said Bishop Perez, adding he and the other Ohio Catholic bishops discussed the opioid crisis this week at a meeting in Columbus. ?Don?t lose hope. I?ve been blown away hearing the U.S. attorney and judge speak like they did. I hear compassion and concern in their voices,? he added.
For more information on substance abuse programs available through Catholic Charities, visit
ccdocle.org/service-category/substance-abuse.
Information on the diocesan Hope and Healing Beyond Heroin initiative can be found online at
ccdocle.org/social-action/hope-healing-beyond-heroin.
