Cover2 Resources

Greg interviews Mark O’Brien, the Director of Opioid Overdose Prevention and Treatment for the city of Baltimore. Many U.S. cities have first responders carrying the heroin-antidote naloxone, but in Baltimore they have a loftier goal of getting the lifesaving drug into the medicine cabinet of every resident. Mark discusses this innovative addition to the Staying Alive program and how it works.

Dr. Nicole Labor, Addiction Medicine Specialist at Summa Healthcare in Akron, Ohio, once struggled with a heroin addiction that pushed her to pursue a career in addiction treatment. “At the end of school you choose the field you hate the least… [Addiction Medicine] is a field that requires you to be honest and set boundaries. Since those were things I was working on in my own recovery, I thought it would be good for me,” says Dr. Labor.

Tracy Plouck is the director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction (MHAS) Services and has been a member of Governor John Kasich’s Cabinet since January 2011. As director of MHAS, Tracy has been witness to the effects of the opioid epidemic statewide. She explains what she has seen as director. “Since addiction has been affecting so many families, there has been a reduction in stigma. People are now aware that [addiction] transcends all walks of life,” says Tracy.

Since 2015, Jennifer Mason and her staff have been working to respond to the opioid epidemic in Butler County with an opiate task force. Jennifer is the Fort Hamilton Hospital EMS Coordinator and the Founder of Fort’s Opiate Recovery Task Force (FORT) and its Golden Ticket Program, a program for addicts who come into the hospital’s ER for overdose treatment.

The suboxone program of First Choice Community Healthcare (FCCH) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has seen great success over the past few years. Minda Jaramillo, Director of Behavioral Health at FCCH, discusses the program and how it uniquely treats opioid addicts.

Dr. Jeanette Moleski has 26 years of experience as a DO running a family practice in Hudson, Ohio. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Moleski has specialized in the field addiction recovery. She was a round table participant in the Facing Addiction Caucus at this year’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

In response to opioid overdoses in Boston, Dr. Jessie Gaeta devised a safe space for rehabilitation called SPOT. She is the Chief Medical Officer of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program or BHCHP. SPOT (Supportive Place for Observation and Treatment) was made with the goal of preventing fatal overdoses in mind. Dr. Gaeta talks about how a safe place was missing from BHCHP facilities. She explains how SPOT provides a haven for over-sedated individuals to recuperate, who are mainly poor or homeless. Once they join the program, “they aren’t alone, they aren’t in public, and they aren’t on a street corner with no medical response nearby,” says Dr. Gaeta.

Greg interviews Troy Gahm, the Owner and Operator of Gahm’s Pharmacy in Lucasville Ohio. As a licensed pharmacist, Troy was quoted in Dreamland, a novel about the opioid epidemic in America. After founding the pharmacy in 1996, Troy has encountered problems with the opioid epidemic. He talks about what he has witnessed in his community and overprescribing.

Judge Thomas Teodosio runs a compassionate drug court in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas called The Turning Point. Upon entering The Turning Point Program, Judge Teodosio's drug court, offenders are assessed for mental health issues and substance abuse issues. Individuals are assessed by community specialists like Summit Psychology Associates and Portage Path Behavioral Health. Judge Teodosio explains the importance of the assessment. “They may have a traumatic event in their past they’ve suppressed or they may have some other mental health issue. Studies show that if you don’t address the mental health issues and the substance abuse issues of a patient, you won’t succeed,” says Judge Teodosio.

Jerry discusses where Dawn education can be found in Summit County. He notes two DAWN clinics established for Narcan education, Summit County Public Health and Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Hospital. Summit County also hosts DAWN clinics at other locations. “Not only are Dawn clinics held in these settings, but we also have the capacity to do Dawn clinics out in the community.”

Greg interviews Allyse Adams, a Clinical Administrator and Certified Counselor at the Oriana House of Akron, Ohio.

Greg interviews Erin Helms, the Executive Director of the Woodrow Project located in Parma, Ohio. The mission of the Woodrow Project is to provide a safe, stable and supportive environment for women in recovery.

In this episode of the Cover2 Resources podcast, Greg interviews Mayor Dan Horrigan of Akron, Ohio. Greg explains Colerain’s revolutionary approach. Mayor Horrigan says, “I love the idea, the compassionate approach… I’ve talked to Donna Skoda and to our Chief of Public Safety. I’ve said, let’s try and put something like this together. If we have the social work experts, the available medical staff—even if we don’t, we have to do something. I’m looking for best practices. How do we implement it up here? It’s a well-worn path. If they’re doing something right, and it’s working, let’s not reinvent the wheel. Let’s try the same thing.” Mayor Horrigan talks about how easy it is to mimic legislation from other cities. He discusses plans to put something together in this area. He also talks about the seismic shift in drug addiction treatment which is sweeping the nation. He advocates a compassionate approach. “We can’t arrest our way out of these problems,” he says.

Greg interviews Donna Skoda, the Public Health Commissioner of Summit County. Donna has been with the Department of Public Health since 2000. She has been working as the Public Health Commissioner of Summit County for a little over a year. The mission of Summit County Public Health is to protect and advance the health of the entire community through its policies, programs and activities that protect the safety, health and well-being of the people in Summit County.

Greg interviews Nicole Argenio, a former opioid addict. Nicole is an addiction recovery coach at the Oriana House in Akron, OH. The Oriana House is dedicated to assisting people in overcoming their substance dependencies and providing multi-step rehabilitation.

Greg interviews Captain Michael Shearer, Captain of the Akron Police Department Narcotics Division. Captain Shearer has spent 25 years on the police force, in various roles. He has been Captain of the Police Department since 2005. Akron has experienced a tragic spike in heroin overdoses this summer. In July, first responder calls went from 2 a day to 11 a day. Greg asks Captain Shearer how the department has dealt with this influx of overdoses and what the department is doing to make a difference.

Greg interviews Nicole Walmsley, State Representative of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative. Through her efforts, the initiative is now active in the city of Lodi’s police department. The initiative works to support the Gloucester Police addiction initiative, to aid other police departments, and to foster a dialogue for police departments to take direct action against the disease of drug addiction in their communities.

Travis discusses the stigma of addiction and how we can break it through unity and love. He is the founder of Breaking Barriers – Hope is Alive, located in Uniontown, OH. Breaking Barriers – Hope is Alive is a resource for people and families who are struggling with the disease of addiction. Through training, education and bringing awareness both locally and nationally, Breaking Barriers – Hope is Alive helps addicts get the resources and support they deserve.

The Good Samaritan Law goes into effect on September 13, 2016. Greg asks Representative Sprague about the law and what exactly it entails. “The law is addressing the issue of addiction in the state of Ohio. 8 out of 10 people that use narcotics, prescription pain pills or heroin, use with somebody else. While 8 out of 10 people that overdose, die alone,” says Rep. Sprague. “Overdosing takes time. Whoever is there with that person when they are using, if they don’t call 911, they are running. They don’t want to get in trouble. The Good Samaritan Law provides safety for individuals, so they won’t be prosecuted for minor drug possession. So they can call 911 and save somebody else’s life.”

Dr. Christina Reyes discusses how she got into the field of psychiatry and addiction, as well as the severity of opioid addiction from a medical perspective. She is the Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at University Hospital’s Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. As an academic medical center, the hospital is dedicated to educating and training physicians and conducting clinical research.