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EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
WEDNESDAYS • June 28, 2017
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INSIDE
Missing Henrico man found dead - 2 A 2nd chance for former addicts - 4 Stemming the tide of hatefulness - 8 Venus Williams on greatest feat - 11
Richmond & Hampton Roads
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Opioids: An American health crisis LEHA BYRD
Overdose deaths in the United States involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ninety-one Americans die daily from an opioid overdose and more than 1,000 are treated daily in emergency departments for not using prescription opioids as directed. In 2016, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Virginia Health Commissioner Marissa Levine declared the opioid addiction crisis a public health emergency in Virginia. Locally, in medical centers like VCU, efforts are under way to combat this public health crisis — through addiction treatment, pain management, health care policy, education and research. This multipart series provides a snapshot of those efforts. Quite a few things make Tavara Webb happy these days: seeing her 6-month-old baby girl develop day by day; being part of her teenagers’ lives; buying a car; and hearing the words, “your urine is clean.” It’s been almost a year since the Richmond resident has heard otherwise. Webb is part of the VCU Health Obstetrical Addiction Program that treats new and soonto-be moms with drug addictions, particularly opioid addictions. Clinicians have worked with close to 40 patients since it began in February 2016. The program’s inner workings emphasize a multidisciplinary approach that includes drug treatment, drug counseling, psychology sessions and social-work provisions. After a patient delivers her baby, the team works closely with newborn providers
Tavara Webb stands on the deck outside her apartment in Richmond's northside. to monitor neonatal abstinence syndrome, and provides social support to mothers once discharged. Female inmates from Henrico County and Richmond City Jails also participate in the program, based out of the VCU Health Nelson Clinic. Additionally, program clinicians provide care at Riverside Regional Jail and Rappahannock Regional Jail, and coordinate transition of care for inmates once they’re released. Webb became part of the program after revealing to her nurse that she was addicted to oxycodone while pregnant and a patient at the Nelson Clinic. At the time she was also
struggling with homelessness and self-esteem, but said the program has helped her connect with services, manage withdrawal and adopt a well-rounded outlook on her future. “Prior to me starting that clinic, I felt like there was nothing I could do to get back on my feet,” Webb said. “But, everything was the opposite when I stopped doing the drug.” What are opioids? Opioids are a prescription drug most commonly used to medically relieve pain, particularly after surgery or injury. Examples of opioids are morphine, tramadol,
oxycodone and methadone. Heroin is also considered an opioid, but is illegal. Even when used as prescribed, opioids can have serious side effects, including depression, nausea and physical dependence, whereby users have withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking medication. There’s also the risk of tolerance, which leads to users taking more of the medication to get relief. Today, nearly half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid, according to the
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