- Morgen Wells
- Posted On
Sutter Lakeside Hospital partners with Opioid Task Force
LAKEPORT, Calif. – An epidemic is consuming the country, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Prescription medication overdoses kill more Americans than motor vehicle crashes. Of the 41,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2012, more than half involved prescription drugs. In California, deaths involving prescription overdoses have increased 16.5 percent since 2006.
According to the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, opioids like hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine are increasingly prescribed for long-term pain; illegal sales of opioid pain relievers have increased 400 percent since 2005.
Lake County has the second highest pharmaceutical opioid-related death rate in California and ranks 11th in nonfatal emergency department visits related to all opioids, according to data provided by Brandeis PDMP Center of Excellence.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital has partnered with the Lake County Safe Opioid Workgroup to address the problem of prescription opiate abuse.
The work group, which is comprised of multiple local agencies, area physicians and care providers, is focused on reducing the rate of opioid addiction and fatal overdoses.
It is one of 12 programs in the state of California to receive a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation to help accelerate work to address the misuse of prescription pain killers.
“I see the struggle patients go through to manage pain,” said Nicole Lamm, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager for Sutter Lakeside Hospital, who is part of the work group. “To be good stewards, it’s our responsibility to offer alternative methods of pain management. Patients often don’t realize how dangerously addictive opioids can be.”
Educating the public on responsible opioid use is an important step to reducing abuse, according to Lamm.
“It’s important to work together with all of the services offered in Lake County. We strive to consider our patients as a whole to connect him or her to the right services, instead of just focusing on pain. It’s my hope that this work group will accomplish a shared mental model about how to treat patients.”
While prescription opioids can be effective in relieving pain for the short term, following up with a primary care provider is essential to treating chronic pain, according to Lamm.
“Opiates are not indicated for long term use, which can change brain chemistry,” said Leeann Hadgis, RN, Director of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Starting March 15, our clinics will not be prescribing opiates to treat chronic pain. Rather, we offer alternate therapies like osteopathic manipulation, joint injections, and referrals to physical therapy, chiropractors and pain management specialists, if appropriate. We can refer patients to specialists to find the root cause of pain, rather than use opiates to mask the real problem.”
“We want to change the culture of how prescription opiates are treated,” said Sara Haworth, RN, Manager of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We want to offer the safest care for our patients.”
“While opioids may have their place in medicine, it’s much safer to use other medications for long term pain management,” said Mike Mietz, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “The pain scale is different for everyone, so it can be difficult to assess what a patient’s needs really are. The longer a patient is on opioid medication, the more likely he or she is to get addicted; opioid dependency can also have an emotional component. Patients may feel anxious when told they’ll be tapered off of their medication.”
“We’re tapering patients off of narcotics over a reasonable period of time,” said Henry Knoop IV, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “We’re introducing other non-narcotic medications to ease the transition and manage any symptoms of withdrawal. We’ve heard feedback from patients that they have more energy and feel like a fog has been lifted once they’re off of narcotic medication.”
Patients using prescription opiates should be sure to ask questions of their medical provider or pharmacist to clearly understand the response, as well as know the risks of prescription opioids. Prescription medication should be stored safely away from children, and only taken as prescribed, according to the CDPH.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, help is available. Lake County Narcotics Anonymous can be reached at 707-262-0132. Lake County Alcoholics Anonymous can be reached at 707-995-3316. Lake County Family Resource Center offers counseling and can be reached at 707-279-0563.
Morgen Wells is Sutter Lakeside Hospital's community relations and fund development specialist.