StandUp Mississippi, a town hall meeting effort to address the opioid crisis in the state, visited Attala County last week.
While there were plenty of charts and statistics presented to educate the public on the growing crisis, most of the speakers focused on treatment.
“The most important message we want to convey tonight is that if you are struggling with addiction, there are people all over the state of Mississippi who are willing to help. You just need to reach out,” said Jeff Dunn, director of the Denton House treatment facility that serves this region, before the session started.
StandUp Mississippi Outreach Coordinator Angela Mallette agreed.
“First, we want to educate communities on the opioid crisis we see in the state,” she said. “Then we want to tell you about the resources that we have for those who need treatment. We want to introduce those people to your community so if anyone needs help, they know where to go.”
Dunn said federal grants now make it possible to extend inpatient treatment from 30 days to 90 days, something he feels is extremely important for those fighting opioid addiction.
“It takes so long for the human brain to heal from addiction. After 30 days, they think they’ve got it down, but it’s a different story when they walk out of those doors,” he said. “Before anybody leaves, they now have a recovery support plan. If they follow it, they have a lot better chance.”
Denton House does not turn anyone away from treatment if they do not have insurance or cannot pay out of pocket to participate in the program. There is a sliding fee scale based on a patient’s ability to pay.
The current crisis most often stems from legal medical use of opioid pain medications prescribed by doctors. However, once those drugs are no longer prescribed, patients resort to obtaining the drugs illegally if they can afford them. Often, patients eventually switch to less expensive street drugs like heroin.
Ann Rodio, project director at the Mississippi Department of Health, said the first step toward addressing the spreading epidemic of opioid addiction is to stop stigmatizing those who have become addicts.
“This is important; it does affect everyone,” she said. “We need to be starting the conversation. If we continue to judge and stigmatize people who need our help, they will continue to die, she said. “Addiction is a brain disease.”
John Dowdy, director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, said everyone can do something to help stop opioid addiction. One of those things is to get rid of unused medications in home medicine cabinets. That access sometimes leads to the wrong person using the medications or someone stealing them for use or to sell on the streets.
“If you have unused pharmaceuticals, get rid of them,” he urged. “Securing pharmaceuticals is one huge thing everyone can do to help.”
John Grantham, clinical director for Life Help, encouraged law enforcement to help get opioid abusers into treatment rather than into the criminal justice system.
“We ae working to try to bolster drug courts throughout the state because we don’t think prison is the best place for low-level criminals struggling with addiction,” he said.
