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((HOLD FOR ANIMATION))
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"THEY GO TO THE VA FOR HELP
AND THEY GET TURNED AWAY."
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"FOR ALL THAT THEY'VE DONE
FOR THIS
COUNTRY." "THEY DESERVE
BETTER."
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MARLEE:..HEROES HURTING.
THOUSANDS OF WEST MICHIGAN
VETERANS ARE FIGHTING THEIR
OWN PERSONAL WAR EVERY DAY -
LOCKED IN A PRISON OF PAIN.
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BRIAN:..TONIGHT - TARGET 8
INVESTIGATOR SUSAN SAMPLES IS
GIVING VOICE TO OUR VETERANS..
EXPOSING WHAT THE OPIOID
CRISIS IS COSTING THE HEROES
AMONG US.
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SUSAN:..SINCE 2015 - THE VA
HAS CUT THE NUMBER OF WEST
MICHIGAN VETERANS ON LONG-TERM
OPIOIDS BY APPROXIMATELY 40
PERCENT.....BUT WHAT ABOUT
VETS WHO DEPENDED ON THOSE
PAINKILLERS FOR JUST A LITTLE
FREEDOM... AFTER THEY GAVE SO
MUCH FOR OURS.
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"I DEPLOYED TWICE. I WAS IN
NORTHERN IRAQ BOTH TIMES... I
WAS A TANKER.." IF ANDREW
LAPRES HAD KNOWN THE PRICE
HE'D PAY...
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"THAT'S THE SACRIFIC WE
MAKE." HE'D HAVE SERVED ANY
WAY. "PROUD OF WHAT I DID. I
HELPED." LAPRES WAS 22 - ON
HIS FIRST DEPLOYMENT - WHEN A
SUICIDE BOMBER BLEW UP AN
IRAQI ARMY RECRUITING
EVENT. "36 PEOPLE DIED.. 28
INJURED. WE WERE FIRST ON
SCENE RIGHT THERE WHEN IT
HAPPENED." LAPRES UNIT WAS IN
THE TRENCHES TOO FOR ONE OF
THE WAR'S MAJOR OFFENSIVES -
THE SEIGE OF TAL AFAR -
HUNTING INSURGENTS.. STREET BY
STREET..
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"PLENTY OF BULLETS AND BOMBS
THERE.."
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"I KNOW THE THINGS THAT HE'S
BEEN THROUGH AND THE RISKS
HE'S TAKEN.. AND HE'S NOT
BEING TAKEN CARE OF.. AND IT'S
AWFUL."THE INJURY THAT
LAUNCHED A LIFETIME OF PAIN -
CAME IN BETWEEN DEPLOYMENTS-
STATESIDE. "INJURED MY NECK IN
TRAINING. IN A GUNNERY RANGE."
LAPRES MEDICAL RECORDS DETAIL
THE WHIPLASH INJURY.. AND THE
CHRONIC NECK PAIN HE'S HAD
SINCE.
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"IT'S BEEN
DEBILITATING." "FEELS LIKE
SOMBODY'S GOT ME BY THE BASE
OF THE NECK, HOLDING ONTO MY
SPINE AND JUST KIND OF
CRUSHING." FOR FIVE YEARS, THE
VA PRESCRIBED LAPRES
HYDROCODONE - AND HE TOOK THE
PAINKILLER AS NEEDED.
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"WHEN THEY'RE THERE.. I DON'T
NEED TO TAKE THEM.. BUT
KNOWING THAT THEY'RE THERE...
KNOWING THAT I HAVE SOME
CONTROL.. KNOWING THAT I'M NOT
HELPLESS .. WAS KIND OF A BIG
DEAL."BUT THE VA WAS CRACKING
DOWN ON OPIOID PRESCRIBING -
AND DOCTORS NOTED THAT ROUTINE
DRUG TESTS SHOWED THE OPIOID
LEVELS IN LAPRES' SYSTEM
DIDN'T MATCH HIS PRESCRIPTION.
IN JUNE 2016, VA DOCTORS CUT
OFF HIS LIFELINE.
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"SINCE THEY TOOK ME OFF OF
IT. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO
THINGS. LIVE."
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"OUR GOAL IS SAFETY." DR.
IRENIO DIAZ IS THE ASSOCIATE
CHIEF OF STAFF FOR MEDICAL
SERVICE AT THE BATTLE CREEK VA
FACILITY."THESE PEOPLE SERVED
OUR COUNTRY AND BECAUSE OF
THAT SERVICE, THEY'RE IN PAIN
EVERY DAY. AND WE RECOGNIZE
THAT FACT AS WELL. WE DO. AND
THAT'S WHY WE WANT TO ALSO
HELP KEEP THEM SAFE AS WELL."
IN FACT - THE VA WAS OUT FRONT
IN RECOGNIZING THE CRISIS -
FATAL OVERDOSES QUADRUPLED
NATIONWIDE IN A DECADE -
KILLING NEARLY 19-THOUSAND
AMERICANS IN 2014.VETERANS
HAVE BEEN ESPECIALLY
VULNERABLE.. FIVE YEARS AGO,
17 PERCENT OF THE 9 MILLION
VETS GETTING VA BENEFITS WERE
PRESCRIBED PAINKILLERS... BUT
BY 2017- THE VA HAD CUT THAT
DOWN TO 11 PERCENT... AND
ADDED OTHER ON-SITE OPTIONS
FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT...
PHYSICAL THERAPY,
ACCUPUNCTURE, COUNSELING,
SUPPORT GROUPS, YOGA, TAI
CHI.. "WE DO HAVE A LOT OF
OPTIONS WE CAN OFFER FOR
PATIENTS." ANDREW LAPRES SAYS
HE'LL TRY ANYTHING... BUT THE
ONLY TREATMENT HE'S
RECEIVED...
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"CHIROPRACTIC CARE... THAT'S
IT.
YEP." "IN THE YEAR THAT HE'S
BEEN WITHOUT PAIN MEDS, HE'S
HAD CHIROPRACTIC CARE.. THAT'S
IT. " TO BE FAIR, DR. DIAZ
CAN'T COMMENT ON SPECIFIC
CASES - CAN ONLY SPEAK IN
GENERAL TERMS..
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"OUR GOAL IS TO INDIVIDUALIZE
THEIR TREATMENTS.. MAKE SURE
THEY ENGAGE WITH THEIR
TREATMENT.. THAT THEY HAVE
ENOUGH COPING MECHANISMS..
COPING
SKILLS..." "I HAVE AN 11 YEAR
OLD SON WHO LIKES PLAYING
FOOTBALL... I CAN'T PLAY CATCH
WITH HIM..." LAPRES SAYS HE
CAN BARE THE NECK PAIN DAY TO
DAY.. "I CAN'T PICK MY
DAUGHTER UP.." WHAT HE CAN'T
DO - HE SAYS - IS BE THE
ACTIVE DAD AND HUSBAND HIS
FAMILY DESERVES.
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"THERE'S A BIG DIFFFERENCE
BETWEEN SOEMBODY WHO WANTS
PAIN RELIEF AND SOMEBODY WHO
WANTS NARCOTICS. I DON'T WANT
OPIOIDS. I JUST DON'T WANT
PAIN."
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"YOU DESERVE SO MUCH MORE.
HIM AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF OTHER VETERANS OUT THERE
WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME
PROBLEMS. THEY DESERVE
BETTER."
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SUSAN:..LAPRES DOES HAVE AN
APPOINTMENT SET UP WITH THE VA
TO EXPLORE A PAIN TREATMENT
CALLED NERVE ABLATION... HE
SAYS HE'LL KEEP FIGHTING -
BRIAN AND MARLEE... AND THAT
HE PLANS TO GIVE THE VA THE
SAME UNENDING PAIN IN THE NECK
THAT IT HAS GIVEN HIM.
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((WRAP WITH SSA))
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