With the signing of seven heroin and opiate prevention bills into law recently in Wisconsin, health care professionals hope to bring awareness of local addiction problems to their communities.
On April 22, a panel of health care providers and hospital personnel met with state Rep. John Nygren at Community Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls to discuss options for pain management other than the use of narcotics.
“When we saw the bills that were signed, it really resonated with us,” said Dr. Nileshkumar Patel of the Advanced Pain Management clinic in Green Bay. “We see (addiction) every day in our clinic.”
Patel’s colleague, Dr. David Lindley of Advanced Pain Management, treats patients at CMH two days a week.
Panel members talked about the misuse of prescribed narcotic pain medications containing opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. Most commonly known as Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet and Percodan, these medications are often prescribed for post-surgical pain and other reasons.
Nygren told how his daughter became addicted to OxyContin after a friend offered it to her. Her drug use escalated into heroin use, culminating in an overdose in 2009, prompting Nygren to propose the Heroin, Opiate Prevention and Education Agenda (HOPE) bills in October.
“I’m a dad with a cause and have a little ability to get things done in Madison,” Nygren said.
All seven bills passed unopposed and were signed into law this month.
According to Patel, the U.S. makes up 4 percent of the world’s population, but uses 99 percent of all hydrocodone manufactured. His goal is to decrease deaths in Wisconsin by educating health professionals and communities about pain management alternatives.
“We’re coming up with solutions outside of drugs,” he said.
The Advanced Pain Management clinic uses a variety of methods to treat conditions from back and neck pain to fibromyalgia and shingles. The clinic works with the patient using physical therapy, chiropractic care and occupational therapy. Alternative medicines, lifestyle modification such as exercise, diet and smoking cessation, and medication management may also be part of a treatment plan.
Patel emphasized the need for patients to look for alternatives for pain before they get hooked on narcotics. He also urged physicians to learn about pain management options and to refer patients early in their treatment.
“People have been through the mill by the time we see them,” Patel said.
Patel said the two main hurdles for decreasing pain medication abuse is that many providers do not know of other pain management options and the community lacks knowledge about resources for pain other than narcotics.
Laura Majewski, human resources director at Community Memorial Hospital, noted a lack of resources for dealing with health care professionals who divert pharmaceuticals for their own use. Instead of recirculating personnel to another facility, employers should instead deal with them directly through rehabilitation services, she said.
Nygren said addiction is costly in many ways, including increased medical, correctional, family, professional and business costs. Nygren noted a correlation between rising theft and addiction in communities, as people steal to support their drug habits.
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