Cover2 Resources

George Loucas discusses the increase of the opioid epidemic over the last 10 years. Mr. Loucas is the founder of Loucas Law, a medical malpractice firm that specializes in wrongful death cases involving prescription opiates.

In this episode of the Cover2 Resources PPT Podcast, Greg interviews Sam Quinones, author of the best-selling book Dreamland. Sam found the title for his award-winning book when he investigated the origins of the opioid epidemic in Portsmouth, OH.

Greg interviews Ed Hughes, CEO of The Counseling Center, Portsmouth, OH. Ed talks about the lessons which families can learn from the national opiate epidemic that started in Portsmouth. Ed traces a short history of the Portsmouth epidemic—how storefront pain clinics legally prescribed opiates and eventually drew out-of-state customers. Then he discusses what families of addicts can do to help their loved one.

Dr. Christina Delos 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.

Jerry Craig, the Executive Director of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug, Addiction and Mental Services Board, is working to get Narcan widely distributed in Summit County. He discusses the Summit County Opiate Task Force. Formed in 2014, the task force consists of a group of key individuals and organizations committed to reducing the tragic consequences of opiate abuse through education, collaboration and wise use of available resources.

Judge Thomas Teodosio runs a compassionate drug court in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas called The Turning Point. He discusses how the special court was founded and the success the court has experienced. Judge Teodosio has been running Summit County’s drug court for the past 8 years.

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.

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.

Greg interviews Allyse Adams, a Clinical Administrator and Certified Counselor at the Oriana House of Akron, Ohio. The Oriana House is a nationally renowned community corrections and chemical dependency treatment facility, providing a multi-step program for rehabilitation.

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.

Ted talks about the shame of those who relapse and how they can learn from the hardship of relapsing. “When I see that look on their face, I cut right to the chase. Dude, let that go. This becomes part of your story. You had to prove some stuff to yourself,” says Ted. “Whatever you weren’t willing to do last time, do it. Get with your counselor or your sponsor and make the adjustment. That is part of this process. We all get here differently, man. We have to stop looking at it as better or worse. It’s different. That’s it.”

Greg interviews Daniel Meloy, the Director of Public Safety for Colerain Township in Hamilton County, to ask how his township is beating the odds in the face of the growing opioid epidemic. Daniel has over 25 years of experience at the Police Department of Colerain Township, the 14^th largest community in the state of Ohio. Since 2013, he has been the Director of Public Safety where he has the honor to serve with both the Police and Fire Departments.

Nicole talks about her introduction to PAARI and how she got involved with the initiative. “I wanted to move on with my life, pretend that I was never addicted to heroin and be a normal society member. However, my friends were dying. I was watching the overdose rate rise. Why doesn’t somebody do something? I decided I could be someone and do something,” says Nicole.

Greg interviews Robert Sprague, Ohio State Representative. He represents the 83^rd District in the Ohio House of Representatives. Since Robert has been in office, he has been associated with the passing of 14 bills for opioid addiction legislation.

Greg interviews Emily Metz, program coordinator at Project DAWN, an opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) program. The acronym DAWN stands for “deaths avoided with naloxone,” and that’s exactly what the program accomplishes. Naloxone, also known as narcan, is the antidote to any type of opiate overdose. The program distributes naloxone kits for free to those who need them, and it also educates community members on how to recognize and respond to an overdose.

Huntington, West Virginia made headlines Monday, August 15, 2016, after 26 people overdosed on heroin in the span of only 4 hours. Thankfully, there were no deaths and everyone who overdosed survived due to the quick response time of emergency services. Gordon Merry, EMS Director, acted quickly and diverted his resources in an effective manner.

Denny founded F I Community Housing in 1995. Today, it’s Ohio’s largest peer-operated recovery community. Denny’s past informs his present mission in fighting the opioid epidemic: by the age of 25, he was addicted to several drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine, and alcohol.