How is the U.S. Dealing with the Opioid Crisis?

Picture Source: (Bayer, 2020)

Opioid Use Disorder falls under the classification of NonCommunicable Diseases. This epidemic started from the misuse of prescription Opioids. The numbers are staggering.

Experts agree that the only way to make a difference in this challenging terrain is through a multidisciplinary proactive approach. Communities need to come together to support people in recovery and bring awareness to the problem. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services supports programs that involve training for all first responders, support pregnant and post-partum women, build communities that support the recovery process, pain management, medicine assisted treatment (MAT), mental health services, rural outreach programs, socioeconomic support, and prescription education campaigns (2018).

This all sounds good in theory but the reality on the ground is quite different. I work in healthcare and specifically in specimen collection services to support those in recovery programs. What I hear from our patients are stories of stigma in the healthcare system, poor service delivery, and an overly burdensome care process. Patients in recovery often have to navigate multiple reporting agencies, some are MAT programs, some are through their primary care providers, and some court mandated. These patients have to come in to provide an observed urine specimen whenever they are called in. Occasionally, they are called in by all 2-3 agencies on the same day. If we had a one payer system or one EMR system nationwide, we would be able to have them come in just once for their test and all the relevant parties would get notified and see their tests and results. Instead, we currently have patients that are sent by their primary care doctor to one company for a specimen test, then the same patient might get a text from their court mandated case worker to present themselves to another lab for another urine check. The frustration they feel builds up. Some patient may have no transportation adding to their struggle. Other patients may have to make a hard choice between showing up for work or going in to a patient service center to provide a urine sample.

Over the next few weeks, I will go deeper into the various programs available to patients in recovery in the U.S. and Europe. I will be sharing my insights through this blog.

Source

U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2018, March 15). Better prevention, treatment & recovery services. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/hhs-response/better-access/index.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2019, September 4). What is the U.S. opioid epidemic? Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html

Picture Credit

Photo by Dmitry Bayer on Unsplash