U.S.
BRANDIS?
>> PARIS, OVERDOSE DEATHS IN THE
UNITED STATES HAVE REACHED AN
ALL-TIME HIGH.
ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
MORE THAN 96,000 PEOPLE DIED OF
DRUG OVERDOSES DURING THE FIRST
YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
THAT IS AN INCREASE OF ALMOST
30% IN JUST ONE YEAR.
IT IS ALSO THE LARGEST SINGLE
YEAR INCREASE IN DRUG OVERDOSE
DEATHS EVER REPORTED IN THE
COUNTRY.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THE
SITUATION LOCALLY WILL ERICA
ERNST PRESIDENT AND INTERIM
DIRECTOR AND VOLUNTEER AT THE
CHICAGO RECOVERY ALLIANCE.
AND Dr. MARIA TORRES CHAIR OF
THE PAIN MEDICINE DIVISION AT
COOK COUNTY HEALTH AND HOSPITAL
SYSTEMS.
THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING
US.
ERICA ERNST LET'S START WITH
YOU, PLEASE.
THE C.D.C. REPORTED THIS MONTH
THAT DRUG OD DEATHS IN THE U.S.
HIT AN ALL-TIME HIGH FOR THE
FIRST 12 MONTHS OF THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC BUT IN CONTRAST THE
CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH REPORTS AN 18% DECREASE
IN OPIOID RELATED DEATHS IN THE
FIRST HALF OF 2021.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WE'RE
EXPERIENCING HERE?
>> I WOULD SAY THE DRASTIC
INCREASE IS DUE TO A LOT OF
ISOLATION AND TAINTED DRUGS.
TAINTED WITH LARGE PROPORTION OF
ANALOGS OF FENTANYL.
THE DECREASE IN THE CHICAGO
AREA, I WOULD SAY IS DUE TO
CONCERTED EFFORT OF MANY
ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING OURS
HERE TONIGHT.
>> AND YOU SAY ISOLATION.
AS IN PEOPLE WHO USING DRUGS ARE
NOT ABLE TO ACCESS THE SERVICES
THAT THEY WOULD TYPICALLY BE
ABLE TO ACCESS?
>> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
TRYING TO BE CONSCIOUS ABOUT
COVID AND COVID RISK.
AND WHEREAS PRIOR TO THE
PANDEMIC WE'D SEE A LOT OF DRUG
USERS USE IN A SOCIAL SETTING
AND NOW PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO BE
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THEIR HEALTH I
DON'T WANT TO GO AND HANGOUT
WITH A LARGE GROUP USING DRUGS I
WILL USE DRUGS AT HOME ALONE AND
WE KNOW THAT IS A MAJOR RISK
FACTOR FOR OVERDOSE.
>> THAT MEANS SOMEONE IS NOT
THERE TO HELP THEM IF THEY GET
INTO TROUBLE.
>> CORRECT.
AND WE CAN DISTRIBUTE NARCAN BUT
IF SOMEONE IS BY THEMSELVES THEY
CANNOT REVERSE THEIR OVERDOSE.
>> HOW MUCH OF A FACTOR IS THE
IMPACT ON DRUG DEATHS?
>> CERTAINLY MANY ASPECTS HAVE
BEEN IMPACTED WITH PATIENTS BOTH
WITH CHRONIC-PAIN SYNDROME,
PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES.
THE PANDEMIC HAS DETERRED A LOT
OF OFFICE VISITS, OUR PRIMARY
CARE PROVIDERS TRULY AT THE
FOREFRONT OF EVALUATING,
DIAGNOSING AND TREATING THESE
PATIENTS.
UNFORTUNATELY THE SECONDARY WITH
COVID AND ISOLATION AND BARRIERS
THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR KEY
FACTOR.
>> ERICA ERNST, THE C.D.C. SAYS
THAT OPIOIDS ARE THE LARGEST
CAUSE OF OVERDOSE DEATHS AND THE
SIN THEN PARTICULAR OPIOID
FENTANYL CAUSING A LOT OF THOSE.
HOW ARE THE PEOPLE THAT YOUR
ORGANIZATION SERVES HOW ARE THEY
FIRST GETTING EXPOSED AND HOOKED
ON OPIOIDS?
>> MOST OF THE FOLKS WE END UP
WORKING WITH HAVE PURSUED
STREET-LEVEL DRUGS DIRECTLY AS
OPPOSED TO THE OFTEN
COMMUNICATED IDEA THAT THEY WERE
INITIALLY ON PAIN PILLS, WENT TO
PILL MILLS, WERE HOOKED ON
OXYAND WENT TO STREET-LEVEL
DRUGS.
A LOT OF THE FOLKS ARE HOMELESS,
STREET BASED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND FENTANYL IS MORE RECENTLY --
IT COMES IN EBBS AND FLOWS OVER
TIME BUT THIS MOST RECENT COUPLE
OF YEARS, FENTANYL IS THE ONLY
THING THAT IS OUT THERE FOR THE
MOST PART AND IT'S ALSO TAINTING
A LOT OF THE OTHER STREET-LEVEL
DRUGS.
WE'RE SEEING IT COME UP IN THE
COKE AND THE METH AND A FEW
OTHER THINGS.
>> Dr. TORREZ, WHY IS FENTANYL
TO UBIQUITOUS AND SO DANGEROUS?
>> FENTANYL IS A UNIQUE DRUG A
VERY POTENT OPIOID AND IT HAS
BEEN USED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
BUT THE POTENCY OF IT MAKES IT
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO THAT
PATIENT THAT DOESN'T REALLY KNOW
THAT QUANTITY.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU THAT
FENTANYL IS A MAJOR OPIOID
OFFENDER.
BUT IT IS NOT PURE FENTANYL
EITHER.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF LACED A
LOT OF OTHER PSYCHO DRUGS AND
PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS ARE NOW
INVOLVED IN THIS, TOO.
I THINK YOU ASKED THE QUESTION
PREVIOUSLY OF WHAT HAVE WE SEEN
HERE LOCALLY?
AND I THINK ERIKA IS REALLY
RIGHT ON THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE
MAJOR INITIATIVES THAT WE AND
THAT IS ACROSS THE HEALTH SYSTEM
HAVE TAKEN FROM PHARMACY TO
MEDICAL TEAMS TO NURSING TO IT,
IMPLEMENTING A LOT OF THE TOOLS
THAT HELP US BETTER DIAGNOSE AND
THE ACCESS TO SUBSTANCES THAT
CAN TRULY MODIFY PATIENTS' PAIN
IF THAT IS THE ISSUE WE'RE USING
IT FOR.
OR THEIR DRUG USE.
AND IT HAS BEEN A GAME-CHANGER
IN OUR GROUP.
>> AND TO THAT POINT,NA LAX OWN
THERE HAVE BEEN --
NALOXONE, THE OVERDOSE REVERSAL
NARCAN THERE IS A SHORTAGE IN
SOME STATES.
HAS THAT BEEN AN ISSUE HERE?
>> YEAH, THE SHORTAGE IS WITH
THE PRIMARY DISTRIBUTOR AND
BEING ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE IT AT A
COST-EFFECTIVE RATE.
SO THE NALOXONE IS THE GENERIC
INJECTABLE AND THAT IS WHAT
CHICAGO RECOVERY ALLIANCE HAS
BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF
DISTRIBUTING TO DRUG USERS AND
THEIR LOVED ONES.
OUTSIDE OF MEDICAL OFFICES.
AND AT THE CURRENT, WE HAVE GOOD
FUNDING TO DISTRIBUTE NALOXONE.
HOWEVER WE'VE HAD TO BUY THE
MORE EXPENSIVE NASAL NARCAN
WHICH IS A DIFFERENCE OF $50 A
KIT.
AND A KIT IS FOR ONE PERSON'S
OVERDOSE.
>> $50 THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT IF YOU ARE AN
ORGANIZATION THAT NEEDS TO BUY
IT IN LARGE AMOUNTS?
>> CORRECT.
THE SHORTAGES NATIONWIDE LUCKILY
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A SUPPLY
SUFFICIENT FOR OUR FOLKS.
BUT TRADITIONALLY CRA
DISTRIBUTES NATIONWIDE AND SHIPS
OUT NALOXONE TO HELP THE SNARLER
ORGANIZATIONS AND WE CANNOT DO