Treating long-term cases may lead to more prescriptions
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Detective Krysta Kaus of the Kane County Sheriff’s Office used the following resources for information in this article. n Adams, K. (2021, April 28). Rate of opioid prescriptions written for COVID-19 long-haulers prompts addiction concerns. https://www. beckershospitalreview.com/opioids/rateof-opioid-prescriptions-written-for-covid19-long-haulers-prompts-addictionconcerns.html n Al-Aly, Z., Xie, Y. & Bowe, B. Highdimensional characterization of postacute sequelae of COVID-19. Nature 594, 259–264 (2021). https://doi. org/10.1038/s41586-021-03553-9 n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention n Wamsley , L. (2021, April 22). People With Severe COVID-19 Have Higher Risk Of Long-Term Effects, Study Finds. https://www. npr.org/sections/coronavirus-liveupdates/2021/04/22/989874986/peoplewith-severe-covid-19-have-higher-risk-oflong-term-effects-study-finds
prehensive Addiction and Recov ery Act Project, according to the Kenneth Young Center website, kennethyoung.org, where he also coaches those in recovery. Pass also has a nonprofit, New Beginnings Recovery Mission, with two halfway houses in Elgin. He said he has seen where people leave prison or treatment without recovery, then pick up where they left off and die of an overdose. “I’ve seen three people die personally,” Pass said. “They left treatment after 28, 30, 30-plus Photo by Sandy Bressner days, got high and died the same day. I worked at Lutheran Social Services for five years and kept a is now nine years sober as of June diary – 94 people died just from 18. substance abuse disorder.” “Since being sober, my If you are depressed or thinking understanding of what that really about harming yourself, the is, and what my issues really were, National Suicide Prevention have evolved,” Pass said. “We are Lifeline at 800-273-8255 and so immersed in the stigma that … they’re losers, dope fiends, addicts, https://suicidepreventionlifeline. org/ is open 24 hours in English crackheads. Those labels do not and Spanish and provides free apply. These are individuals who struggle and suffer with a substance confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis abuse disorder. … Left untreated, resources for you or your loved it’s progressive and deadly.” ones and best practices for Pass works for the Kenneth professionals. Young Center, leading its Com Daryl Pass, a comprehensive addiction and recovery act project lead for Kenneth Young Center, also does work with the Kane County Drug Court helping people who have detoxed learn to live with reality.
“I often reflect on the words of Charles Taylor, a 70-year-old Black man from Aurora, in and out of custody 12 times over 50 years who said when [he] left our jail for the last time after experiencing our Recovery Pod: ‘Sheriff Hain, I never realized anyone in uniform ever cared about me until now.’ ”
RECOVERY AFTER SOBRIETY
One of the people who assists detainees once they are detoxed and receive treatment is Daryl Pass. Pass works with clients who are in Drug Court, one of the county’s specialty courts, helping them get into halfway or sober living houses. He’s also a recovery coach because it’s not enough for the clients just to be sober. Sobriety means a person is no longer using drugs but recovery means that person is learning how to live without using drugs. “If you are a dry drunk, nothing has changed – you are what you are,” Pass said, using an expression for people who sober up but don’t deal with their
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underlying problems. “But recovery – this is where I work. … When you really start understanding that it’s imperative that you live better – not perfect – but intentional in your actions to be a better person,” Pass said. “Recovery is a beautiful thing. It is transformative thinking and behavioral change. It’s a totally different way of living. ... Life is life. You’ve got to suit up.” Pass said he understands the challenges as he himself suffered from heroin abuse for 23 years and
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could become addicted to opiates just from this study alone. The study was done based BY DETECTIVE KRYSTA KAUS off of databases KANE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE of the U.S. Department of Recently, various news outlets have reported Veteran Affairs. that prescription drugs were being used to treat As a way long-term COVID-19 symptoms. Long COVID to combat is described by the Centers for Disease Control the opioid (CDC) as symptoms from COVID-19 that last for epidemic weeks or months. The CDC specifically says that locally, Kane the symptoms can happen to anyone who has County Sheriff’s had COVID-19, even if the illness was mild or Office – like someone didn’t initially have symptoms. Krysta Kaus many other You might be thinking this is an article about Kane County Sheriff’s Office agencies – has opioids – why are you talking about COVID-19? partnered with the Rx Abuse Leadership Institute A study published by Nature in April showed that for every 1,000 long COVID patients treated to distribute Deterra Drug Deactivation System. Deterra can be used at home to deactivate at a Veterans Affairs facility, physicians wrote unused or unwanted prescriptions. nine more prescriptions for opioids than they In 2021, the Sheriff’s Office participated in the otherwise would have. The researchers also found other medications being prescribed in addition to Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The next Take opioids were anti-anxiety and antidepressants. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly and his colleagues examined data Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. The Sheriff’s Office collects prescriptions collected from 73,000 people who had reportedly year-round in the collection box in the lobby at had COVID-19 but had not been hospitalized. the main entrance and has recently instituted a That means that with more opioid prescriptions soft relaunch of the A Way Out program. written, there are potentially 657 people who
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OPIOID & MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS |
What does COVID-19 have to do with opioids?
