Grace Advertising & Consulting, Inc.

PAGE 06 September 2019 For years, drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and meperidine have been first-tier options for pain relief. "We've gone so far away from holistic measures," said Amanda Arnold, director of quality and risk management at Health Care Collaborative (HCC) of Rural Missouri. "We seem to jump to the worst-case scenario first." In doing so, a different, unanticipated worst-case scenario has emerged: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reported that, of those who began abusing opioids in the 2000s, 75 percent reported that their first opioid was a prescription drug. "Opioids are almost gateway drugs," Arnold said. "And they're being prescribed at younger and younger ages." She noted opioids can be as helpful as antibiotics or hypertension drugs—but only when used at the right place at the right time, with the right patient receiving the right amount. "More than 1,100 Missourians lost their lives to opioid-related overdoses last year," said U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) in an August 2019 interview with KHQA-TV. "Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control projects that, from 2017 to 2018, our state saw around a 16 percent increase in overdose deaths. This is nothing less than a public health crisis." And it's not just in Missouri. Lexington Police Chief Charlie Grom, who grew up in the state of California, noted that opioid abuse began on the coasts and gradually spread to the Midwest. He's observed a slow uptick in Lafayette County over the past year and a half. "What I'm seeing is stuff I experienced five to eight years ago on the West Coast," he said. "We've been very lucky here in Lexington to not see a lot of trafficking take place. It really hasn't impacted our community in that regard; it's mostly personal use and misuse of opioid products." That personal misuse can easily take a toll on an addict's neighbors, however. "It's no secret that property crimes are directly linked to drug use," Chief Grom said. "Because drug use is an illicit activity, people don't usually have normal, stable jobs. They've got to support those addictions in some way, so we find a lot of opportunistic crimes. Being a rural community, people aren't as focused on home security. By Cheryl Gochnauer, Contributing Writer That's an issue we have been diligently working on, showing people how to protect themselves from the randomness of theft." Funding the Fight In 2017, as the crisis continued to rage across America, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established a Five- Point Opioid Strategy requiring: ● Better addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services ● Better data ● Better pain management ● Better targeting of overdose reversing drugs ● Better research The first year, HHS issued more than $800 million in grants to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. This year, HHS awarded nearly $400 million nationally to support Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded community health centers, rural organizations, and academic institutions in their fight against Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). HCC was awarded just under $2 million, benefiting patients served by its Live Well Clinics in Buckner, Carrollton, Concordia, and Waverly: ● $200,000 – Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Planning Grant ● $1 million – RCORP Implementation Grant ● $600,000 – Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) Small Provider Quality Improvement Grant ● $167,000 – Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Grant Services to be provided include primary care, behavioral health, counseling and therapy, preventative health and wellness services, detoxification, and more in both inpatient and outpatient settings. "Grant monies were used last year to have Live Well providers certified in Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)," Arnold said. MAT uses a combination of therapy and well-documented drugs like methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine to gradually wean addicts off opioids. Existing HCC patients already receiving primary, dental, or behavioral health/mental health care can be referred to these MAT-certified providers for help in overcoming addiction. Gathering Warriors It takes teamwork to combat opioid abuse. Live Well representatives and several key community stakeholders meet monthly to discuss, plan, and implement practical approaches to tackling the problem. Stakeholders include: ● HCC and its Live Well Centers ● Compass Health Network ● Lafayette County Mental Health Board ● Lexington, Mo. Police Department ● Lafayette County Sheriff's Department ● Lafayette County Probation and Parole Department ● Lafayette Regional Health Center "Pettis County has implemented a program similar to the one we're trying to implement in Lafayette County and surrounding areas," Arnold said. "They've been our mentor through all of this, as they currently have their program up and running, also funded by grants. HCC & Live Well Clinics Continue Reading on Page 11 Amanda Arnold Charlie Grom When prescribed and used appropriately, opioids can be a real blessing to patients suffering excruciating pain caused by injury or illness. Used improperly, however, opioids can be crippling and even deadly. (© kasmasov - stock.adobe.com)

• Cover