By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
Officials familiar with the crippling opioid epidemic in the region took their message to the Wesley Grange in Harrisville on Wednesday.
Michelle McGee, community service officer with the Pennsylvania State Police at the Franklin barracks; and Venango County Coroner Christina Rugh alerted residents to the widespread issue of overdose deaths due to opioids, even in more rural areas like the southern part of Venango County.
“(Opioids) are here. As much as you like to think you’re protected down here, you’re not,” Rugh said.
“No one is immune to it because it’s not just one demographic,” McGee said.
A staggering 80 percent of heroin users start off by using prescription opioid pain relievers, McGee said.
Issues stem from the addictive quality of pain relievers, which can then transition to heroin if an addicted person can no longer obtain prescription medication, McGee said.
Those addicted to prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse heroin, McGee said. Short-term effects include surges of euphoria and cloudy mental function, while long-term effects range from collapsed veins, infected heart lining and valves and liver and kidney disease to increased tolerance levels.
McGee described community concerns with health and safety. Authorities have seen an uptick in HIV and hepatitis caused by shared needles, she said, and many home burglaries are carried out simply for the acquisition of prescription opioids.
People also falsely report their medication stolen in order to obtain an additional prescription from their physicians, said McGee.
In other instances, people may “doctor shop” for prescriptions from multiple physicians, McGee said.
Rugh warned of prescription medications she has seen in overdose deaths, including many benzodiazepines, which are often prescribed to treat seizures, anxiety and sleeping disorders.
“I feel they’re too readily prescribed,” said Rugh.
When these medications are used in conjunction with opioids, they can cause respiratory arrest resulting in death, Rugh said. If someone falls asleep and can’t be woken up, the best course of action is to call 911, she continued.
Additional issues are caused by opioid medications like Suboxone and methadone, which are prescribed to wean people off opioids like heroin, Rugh said.
Prevention and treatment
One preventative measure is being taken in the form of a prescription drug monitoring program that connects physicians and pharmacists to an online log of patients’ current opioid prescriptions. The log can be checked at any time, said Rugh.
Drug take-back boxes are another prevention method the county has for residents to get rid of unwanted medications, McGee said.
The counteractive medication Naloxone, which is carried by first responders, is also available to the public, McGee said.
People can request a voucher for Naloxone through the county and obtain the medication at a local pharmacy, said McGee.
Problem solving court is another county effort aimed at helping addicts, McGee said.
The court targets non-violent adult offenders who have a substance abuse disorder or a co-occurring disorder. Offenders who agree to the program may undergo intensive rehabilitation and monitoring for up to 24 months in lieu of proceeding to the Court of Common Pleas, McGee explained.
“It was made for people to address their drug problems and allow them to work at becoming clean,” said McGee.
A similar opioid awareness program will be presented on a county-wide level from 12:30 to 4:15 p.m. Thursday in the social hall of First Baptist Church in Franklin.
Speakers at the event will be Venango County President Judge Oliver Lobaugh and Antoine Douaihy, the medical director of addiction medicine service and inpatient dual diagnosis at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh.
People may register for free online at www.maaetc.org.
