By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, CEAP, SAP
There’s been lots of press lately about the possibility of Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) closing some or all of its detox beds and a substantial portion of its inpatient rehab beds. The timing couldn’t be worse given the level of untreated opiate addiction on Long Island. NUMC, with its 20 detox beds and Long Beach Medical Center with eight beds are the only inpatient detoxes in Nassau and given the lack of beds in Suffolk, folks often travel to NUMC from Riverhead at 5:00AM in an attempt to secure a bed. Too often, the unit is full, the trip is in vain and recovery gets further out of reach.
There are a couple things at work here. NUMC’s reimbursement rates from NYS are being slashed, pushing a public hospital with perennial financial challenges even closer to the brink. Second, there’s a fairly aggressive push nationally and supported here in New York by OASAS to make detox an outpatient, rather than an inpatient service. That’s fine for some patients some of the time, but clearly not for those using benzos or alcohol where the risk of medical consequences is significant. Even among those exclusively using opiates, detoxing on the floor of your bathroom can be difficult to endure, frightening for family members and provides no link to treatment.
NUMC should rethink its proposal – even if it costs a few bucks – because right now there are few alternatives. There should be, though. Addiction is one of Long Island’s most pressing public health problems right now and every Long Island hospital should be going out of their way to accommodate detox patients, not sending them home or to NUMC or Long Beach. We also need to develop alternative service models for patients who don’t need inpatient hospital care, but do need a safe, secure place to get stabilized as they begin their journey of recovery. The potential loss of detox beds at NUMC should accelerate that process and make the rest of Long Island’s hospitals – most of whom abandoned detox years ago – more accountable.
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By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D., CEAP, SAP
Drug policy expert Kevin Sabet recently penned a thoughtful New York Times Op-Ed suggesting that we need more “moderate” voices in order to reduce the persistent polarization of drug policy debates. True, but what’s actually missing from the discussions are the politically diverse voices of addiction professionals and those in recovery.
Those of us on frontlines often listen to national debates about prevention strategies, treatment options and criminal justice system responses and wonder how such a complex disease with far-ranging implications and multiple nuances can be reduced to a five-minute shoutfest. It can’t and as long as the discussions are dominated by politicians and pundits with well-rehearsed dogmatic positions, public health will continue to suffer.
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By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, CEAP
It looks like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s third National Take-Back Day held on Saturday was once again a success. This coordinated effort to collect potentially dangerous, expired, misused and unwanted prescription drugs for safe destruction is of course, important to our efforts to reign-in pill misuse and diversion. But how about we address the dynamics and practices that fill our medicine cabinets with potentially dangerous medications in the first place? Like aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing that proposes a pill for everything. Like rampant over-prescribing by doctors and dentists. Like prescription plan co-pays that motivate patients to ask for a 90-day supply of meds in a single visit, rather than a 30-day supply.
Taking back meds is important, but some of them shouldn’t be given out in the first place. As we look for solutions to the current crisis, let’s address that fact
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By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, CEAP
Kudos to Newsday for a great piece of investigative reporting published yesterday. The cover story detailed how staff at the NYS Department of Health wrote an internal memo to a NYSDOH Deputy Commissioner in July, advising him that up to 1.4 million blank prescription forms had been stolen from New York City hospitals and health care facilities, and are being sold on the street for between $100 and $300 per piece. In many cases, the facilities from which the prescription forms were stolen were never advised, nor were any pharmacies advised to look out for the pirated forms. The questions here are myriad: Why are such thefts still so common? Why aren’t the HHC facilities/staff held accountable for what appears to be lax security? Why weren’t pharmacists warned about the breaches? Why weren’t substance abuse treatment providers and the public notified?
I could go on, but you probably get the point. The system is broken; we’ve know that for some time, yet nothing appears to be changing. LICADD will continue to speak-out and push for reforms that will keep our families safer and our young people alive. I hope you’ll continue to stand with us, speak out in your own way and feel the same sense of urgency we do.
Here’s a
link to the article in case you missed it.
Governor Cuomo’s Work Isn’t Done
By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
Kudos to NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo for signing into law last week legislation banning the sale of “bath salts” and prohibiting the sale of hookahs and other smoking paraphernalia to minors. We’ve written about bath salts here several times – a mislabeled and frequently abused product that produces hallucinogenic effects and medical complications that have sent teens into emergency rooms nationwide. Smoking, of course, has well-documented health consequences and may serve as a pre-cursor to the abuse of other substances. Protecting public health is among the most critical functions for government, which is why Governor Cuomo should sign the 911 Good Samaritan Bill today and save some lives.
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There is a Better Way for Long Island’s Nonprofits….
By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
As the dust settles on last week’s news that Bin Laden had been killed, attention will once again return to the fiscal crisis facing our local, state and federal governments. It’s a crisis that affects nonprofits in a big way, especially since it is our organizations that are charged with lending a helping to hand to the growing numbers of those in need. An article I wrote for JedMorey.com on Friday details the challenges and choices that lie ahead for Long Island’s nonprofits. In it I opined, “There are lots of nonprofit executive directors laying awake at night these days trying to figure out how to reduce client waiting lists, keep the lights on and make payroll. Business owners do that all the time; it goes with the territory. But there’s got to be a better way.” Indeed, there is! Click
here to check out some of my ideas.
By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
After doing more than one hundred media interviews in 2010, the only media request I declined was when asked to comment on Lindsay Lohan’s prospects for recovery. I don’t know Lindsay Lohan, and even if I did, I wouldn’t feel comfortable commenting on her treatment choices or making predictions about her success. That’s why I’ve also avoided commenting on Charlie Sheen and every other celebrity that’s had a high profile meltdown. Still, there’s something in the way we react to these folks that’s fascinating. So, I wrote about that in my first contribution to Jed Morey’s new site, which features “Plain-Spoken Politics With A Long Island Accent.” The article is linked here. Hope you enjoy it!
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By LICADD Webmaster
22 Feb, 2011
Executive Director's Blog, LICADD Blogs
florida pain management, jeffrey reynolds, oxycontin, pain management clinics, pdmp, percocet, pill mills, prescription drug addiction, Prescription Drug Misuse, sen chuck schumer, vicodin
By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed eliminating a long-awaited “pill mill” database designed to combat prescription drug abuse, angering his fellow elected officials in Florida and beyond. Among them, New York’s senior Senator Chuck Schumer, who held a press conference on Sunday to blast the move and discuss its impact on New Yorkers.
Indeed, Florida is the pain management capital of the world and some of the Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet that is so prevalent here on Long Island comes from that state. As such, Governor Scott should revisit his decision, fully fund the database and support proven public health measures.
But let’s not pretend that Florida is the root of our problems locally and that prescription meds aren’t readily available right here on Long Island. It’s a little like blaming Canada for our endless series of snowstorms. How about we set aside some federal funds to educate Long Island’s parents, patients, doctors and pharmacists about prescription pill misuse and diversion? Why don’t we make the penalties for doctors selling scripts that same as those aimed at non-MDs selling “street” drugs? How about instead of cutting federal and state funding for addiction services, we increase funding to match current community needs?
And while we are on the topic of prescription drug monitoring databases, why not ensure that New York’s own database is updated in real time, rather than monthly and that pharmacists have access to the information they need in order to make decisions that will best serve their patients and our community. Let’s hope that Governor Scott does the right thing; in the meantime, let’s get to work right here in New York.
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By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
As we get ready for the new year, we’ve put together a few resolutions designed to keep our families safe, happy and healthy. Tell us which ones you like best and send us your own by commenting on this post.
| A few resolutions to consider…
1) Offer a helping hand to that person in your life who struggles with drugs and alcohol. Even if you done it before, do it again in another way and do it with love.
2) Whether or not you have kids, you live in a school district. Drop the Superintendent a note and ask him or her about the district’s drug and alcohol prevention programs.
3) If you do have kids, model good behavior and talk with them frequently about drugs and alcohol.
4) Eat dinner together as a family. If work or school schedules preclude eating together every night, make sure to do it at least once per week. No phones, television or other distractions, just quality time.
5) Spend as much time talking to your friends in person as you do chatting with them on Facebook.
6) Volunteering helps those in need, is a great experience for you, and strengthens our community.
7) Recovery is a blessing. If you are living the miracle, share it with others as often as you can.
|
On behalf of myself, our board of directors, staff, and volunteers, please accept our best wishes for a happy, healthy and joyous year ahead. We’re ready to make 2011 our best year ever and we hope you are, too!
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By Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D
Thanks for all the feedback about our hard work in pushing for a nationwide ban on “Four Loko” and “Joose,” alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs) that have been called “Blackout In a Can.” Sales of these products are reportedly up more than 400% in the last year, and so are emergency room visits among those who consume AEDs.
Several college campuses have banned the drinks from their premises and there are bills pending in several states to do the same. Utah has already done so, correctly pointing out that AED packaging makes it too hard to distinguish them from soft drinks, not to mention that the products contain 12% alcohol and the caffeine equivalent of several cups of coffee.
Alcoholic energy drinks should be banned. If the federal Food and Drug Administration won’t pull them from the market, then New York State lawmakers should do so. We’re working hard on this issue and will be announcing some focused activities shortly.
In the meantime, please take a second to let the folks at Phusion Projects – the makers of “Four Loko” – know that it’s wrong to profit at the expense of our young people and that both their products and their marketing strategies threaten public health.
Here’s their contact info:
Mr. Jaisen Freeman
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
Phusion Projects, LLC.
1658 N Milwaukee Ave. #424
Chicago, IL 60647-5651
Phone: 1 (888)402-5247
eMail: generalinquiry@drinkfour.com
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