JAMESTOWN – Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was in Jamestown on Monday to share details of the Opioid Addiction Prevention Act, a proposed piece of bipartisan legislation that would limit the amount of prescription opioids a physician can prescribe to treat acute pain. The bill, cosponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and modeled after New York State law, would limit the supply of an initial opioid prescription for acute pain to seven days.

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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand provided details of her opioid addiction prevention legislation during a stop at the Mental Health Association in Jamestown on Monday, July 25.

According to Sen. Gillibrand, many individuals become addicted to opioids after taking prescriptions for acute pain, such as a broken bone or wisdom tooth extraction. If enacted, the proposed legislation would require medical professionals to certify, as part of their DEA registration, that they will not prescribe an opioid as an initial treatment for acute pain in an amount that exceeds a seven-day supply, and may not provide a refill as part of that initial prescription.

Gillibrand said the legislation is an effort to help reduce the amount pain medication that is given to the public, as well as to help reduce the number of people who become addicted to opioids.

“We know that one of the main sources that is fueling the addiction epidemic is the over-prescription of opioids like percocet, vicodin, and oxycontin for acute, short-term pain,” Gillibrand said. “Every year we have thousands of men and women going in for routine treatments that require more than a small dose of pain medication and they’re leaving with far more medicine than they need. And then they become addicted, or they give the extra pills to a friend or family member who misuses the medication, or they leave it in their medicine cabinet where a younger person may see it and steal it and bring it to a party.”

Gillibrand added that the seven-day limit does not apply to the treatment of chronic pain, pain being treated as part of cancer care, hospice or other end of life care, pain treated as part of palliative care, or addiction treatment.

The Senator made her comments at the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County, which has seen an increase in the number of people who come through its doors seeking help to battle addiction.

L to R: Leanna Luka-Conley (The Resource Center), Kia Briggs (Mental Health Association), and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

“In 2017 we’ve had 8500 visits and of these, 411 separate individuals have received peer services,” Said MHA executive director Kia Briggs. “The MHA Has assisted 359 gaining access to treatment or medical services, 67 gaining employment, and seven enrolling in college, 13 gaining their GED, and 130 gaining stable housing. We know that addiction is complex matter and appreciate that our community has come together to make real change in the way that people are treated and parity toward gaining access for treatment.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data this month that shows that the over-prescription of opioids continues to be a serious public health problem in the United States. While the overall amount of opioids prescribed in the U.S. decreased between 2010 and 2015, the amount prescribed in 2015 was still three times as high as the amount prescribed in 1999. In response to this latest report, CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat said the amount of opioids prescribed in 2015 was enough “for every American to be medicated around the clock for three weeks.”

According to Gillibrand, the number of prescription opioid-related deaths rose by over 1,600 percent in Western New York between 2005 and 2015.

In recognition of local groups’ educational efforts on drug addiction, Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan will be proclaiming May 2017 as Drug Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in Chautauqua County.

One of the main events happening in May will be the Hope and Healing for Chautauqua event, taking place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Chautauqua Suites in Mayville. This free, day-long event will feature guest speakers, presentations, and addiction resources for the community.

Dr. Rodney Wambeam

The featured keynote speaker for Hope and Healing for Chautauqua is Dr. Rodney Wambeam, Senior Research Scientist at the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center of the University of Wyoming. Wambeam will present on “Boomers, Xera and Millennials: How New Research on Generations Can Inform the Future of Prevention.”

In addition, Level Up Talks will be given in the form of micro presentations to provide further information about prevention, treatment and recovery concepts with the potential to “level up” hope and healing in Chautauqua County.

Breakout sessions will complete the day with HOPE Youth Empowerment Program for Youth Advocacy lead by Laurie Reynolds and Tracy Jespersen of CASAC; Planning and Evaluating Environmental Prevention Efforts lead by Wambeam; Success in Treatment and Recovery with Lifestyle Changes lead by Dr. Davina Moss-King; and Peer Specialists and Peer Recovery Supports lead by Kia Briggs, MHA and Pastor Leecroft Clarke of Addiction Response Ministry.

Information and resource tables will be available throughout the day. Additionally, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Credential Hours for CPP/CPS and CASAC will be available. Attendee registration to the event is open until May 1 and those who register after this date may not be guaranteed a lunch.

The Hope and Healing events are put on by the Healthy Opportunities for Prevention Education (HOPE) Chautauqua Coalition. This diverse group of community partners has been working together to plan local events that promote hope, highlight resources, and strengthen substance abuse efforts in Chautauqua County. The planning committee includes representatives of  CASAC, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene, Chautauqua Tapestry, Evergreen Health, HOPE Chautauqua Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, MHA, UPMC Chautauqua WCA, local faith leaders, and other dedicated community members.

For more information about the Hope and Healing for Chautauqua events, registration information and additional details, visit the HOPE Chautauqua Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/HopeChautauqua/.

More than a hundred people were on hand for the “Heroin Epidemic: Women’s Voices, Needs and Impact” that took place at the prendergast Library on Jan. 19, 2017.

JAMESTOWN – It was a packed house at the James Prendergast Library Thursday night as nearly 100 people showed up to attend a panel discussion on the heroin epidemic in our community, and specifically its impact on women.

The forum was entitled “Heroin Epidemic: Women’s Voices, Needs and Impact” and was hosted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW Jamestown) and the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County.

Speakers included several women from the community who’ve dealt with heroin addiction, either on a professional or personal level, and sometimes both.

One of the speakers was Dr. Lillian Ney, who explained how addiction works. Also speaking was area nurse Julie Apperson, who addressed the “stigma of addiction” and shared her personal story as a parent who has a child dealing with drug addiction. Apperson also pointed out the long-term impact addiction has on the criminal justice system in our country.

Dr. Lillian Ney at the “Heroin Epidemic: Women’s Voices, Needs and Impact” on Jan. 19, 2017.

“I’ve come to firmly believe that incarceration is not the answer, especially for our non-violence offender with substance abuse or co-occurring disorders,” Apperson said. “Sixty-eight percent of incarcerated people in jail meet the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder and the number with co-occurring mental illness is believed to be over 80 percent. There is an astonishing lack of treatment services in correction facilities… recidivism rates are extremely high – an estimated 67 to 76 percent.”

As a result of the high recidivism rates, Apperson said its time communities start offering more clinical support for addicts, rather than taking the “tough love” approach.

Apperson said alternatives to incarceration include better access to treatment, family support, the syringe exchange program, access to narcan, and even providing safe injection facilities – which she said could be used as an access point to provide and offer help and treatment to users who may otherwise not want to seek help.

Also speaking during the forum was social worker Leanna Luka-Conley, area resident and addict-in-recovery Heather Brown, and area resident Lori Keller, who shared her heart-breaking story of losing her daughter to addiction, saying that her daughter passed away one day before she was scheduled for an evaluation.

The panelists for the “Heroin Epidemic: Women’s Voices, Needs and Impact”: (from left to right) Heather Brown, Lori Keller, Leanna Luka-Conley, Julie Apperson, Dr. Lillian Ney, and keynote speaker Kia Briggs.

The keynote speaker for the event was Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County Executive Director Kia Briggs, who shared her personal experience with heroin addiction and recovery.  She said one of the biggest challenges an addict faces is access to treatment.

“I was blessed enough to get into ECMC Detox, which is not an easy process. But I will tell you that I had someone tell me that they literally tell me they thought I would be dead three days later,” Briggs said. “They did not believe I was going to survive. I don’t believe that you should have to wait until you look like you’re on death’s door to get into a detox program.”

Briggs also offered information on how to get support for addiction, including stopping by or calling the mental health association, located in the Gateway Center on Water St. in Jamestown, or by calling 661-9044.  A complete listing of local addiction support services can also be found by calling the New York State HOPE line at 1-877-8-HOPENY.

The event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room at the Prendergast library.

The program will focus specifically on the epidemic’s impact of women, how women can lead positive change, and action steps that can be taken in the community to address the epidemic.

The keynote speaker of the event is Kia Briggs, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association. Other panelists will include Lillian Ney, Julie Apperson, Leanna Luka-Conley, Lori Keller, and Heather Brown.

The event will also include scenes from the local play, Least Resistance, performed by the Winged Ox Players an outreach theater group of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will also be served. For more information call 490-2616.