Overdosing on narcotics once carried a certain stigma that isn’t nearly so accurate these days. The opioid crisis has affected every demographic -- including race, education, and economic status.
Madison County is certainly no exception. In hopes of responding to the crisis, Alton Memorial Hospital and OSF Healthcare are collaborating with the formation of the HOPE Steering Committee. The purpose is to find ways to combat this problem that are within the hospitals’ control and scopes of practice.
The opioid epidemic saw 71 confirmed deaths in Madison County in 2016 by various forms of drugs, and at least 42 more in 2017.
“One of the keys is physician education,” said Meredith Parker, manager of Clinical Services at the AMH Center for Senior Renewal and a member of the HOPE committee. “There has been a culture shift since the 1990s, when pain was considered the fifth vital sign. The idea was to treat the pain, no matter what. But things have just steamrolled from there. Our hospitals feel a need to address this issue.”
Drugs such as Fentanyl have entered the picture in a big way, often combined with heroin or methamphetamines.
AMH recently hosted a town hall meeting about the crisis. Lori Fassler, an educator in the AMH Women’s Health and Childbirth Center, moderated the meeting that featured a panel of experts including Dr. Angela Holbrook, chief of Emergency Medicine at AMH; Steve Nonn, Madison County coroner; Doug Hulme, a Madison County administrator; Mike Morrison, executive vice president of Bridgeway Behavioral Health (also in recovery from addiction for many years); and Karen Tilashalski, coalition coordinator with Chestnut Health Services.
“It was encouraging to see how many people attended who shared their personal stories and their passion to help others recover, and also to prevent other families from going through what they went through,” Fassler said. “There is a lack of funding available and residential treatment facilities. As an OB nurse, I’m very aware that not many programs will accept pregnant women. There are limited options when patients need treatment.”
“There are limited treatment options for all levels of care,” Parker said. “When a person who is addicted musters up the courage to admit he or she needs help, it is difficult for providers to merely provide a list of facilities and send them away to get on a waiting list, knowing that the opportunity to link that person to services may not knock again.”
Pictured above: Dr. Angela Holbrook, chief of Emergency Medicine at AMH, speaks at the opioid town hall held at AMH in February. At left is Madison County coroner Steve Nonn and at right is Mike Morrison, executive vice president of Bridgeway Behavioral Health.