COMMUNITY
GILBERT SUN NEWS | NOVEMBER 14, 2021
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Terros program helps expectant moms break addiction BY ASHLYN ROBINETTE GSN Contributor
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ore people in the United States died of drug overdoses in 2020 than in any one-year period. Overdose deaths hit a record 93,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a nearly 30 percent increase over 2019. Arizona wasn’t spared from the problem: the CDC predicted the number of overdose deaths in the state ending March 2021 to be 2,735, compared with 2,110 in March 2020 — another spike of nearly 30 percent. Terros Health is working to reverse this trend. Through a comprehensive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program, Terros Health helps patients on the road to recovery with an emphasis on a special population: expectant mothers. “I can honestly say this saved my life because I overdosed twice on heroin…,” said Denisse Pesqueira, new mother and Terros Health patient. “God gave me two chances back and I’m grateful that I took this medication and met Dr. (Saul) Perea.”
Health and after receiving specialized MAT throughout her pregnancy, she recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The baby showed no signs of withdrawal. “I have a daughter and I got my other daughter back,” the Phoenix resident said. “I’ve been clean and successful. I work and have no cravings. I take my meds there, they Dr. Saul Perea, Terros Health’s chief medical officer, created the have therapy there and I can honestly say medication-assisted treatment program. (YouTube) this is the best thing. About nine years ago, Pesqueira, 36, The program is the broke her leg in an automobile accident. best thing if you really want help getting It was then that she began taking pain- off of drugs.” killers, which eventually led to an addicDr. Saul Perea, Terros Health’s chief tion to heroin. medical officer, created the MAT program. Last December, Pesqueira learned that He works hand-in-hand with patients, she was pregnant and worried how her their families and, in the case of pregnant substance use disorder would affect her women who are addicted to substances, unborn baby. OB-GYN specialists to coordinate intePesqueira was introduced to Terros grated and behavioral care.
Terros Health has offered substance use treatments for many years but the MAT program didn’t officially begin until approximately six years ago, Perea said. This program addresses patients’ overall health by combining FDA-approved medications with behavioral therapy and primary medical care. “The MAT service started with a vision of providing services to every single opioid use disorder person,” Perea said. “We had great success with the general public and then we noticed that our pregnant women and adolescents were part of the population that weren’t getting the treatment that they needed.” Statewide, there aren’t many programs that specialize in the treatment of substance abuse in pregnant women, so Terros Health fills that gap, Perea said. “A lot of pregnant women still suffer from discrimination and stigma, not only from their own families, but from medical providers, and that’s unfortunate,” he said. “But we’re doing the best we can to educate people and make sure that they
gardeners looked for the perfect seeds. The event, which started in 2015, was live for the first time since the pandemic was declared in March 2020. Janice Norton, manager of the event, said the surge in interest in gardening over the past 18 months has been astounding. “It was unbelievable; it was astronomical in my mind,” she said. “COVID hit everyone differently, but in the gardening world, it was transformative, to how many people finally realized that their food is important, and they wanted to be able to access healthy food
food in the local Safeway? That’s how quickly they turn over their inventory,” said Bill McDorman, co-founder of Great American Seed Up. “If any supply lines are cut, we have a Safeway with no food. What do we do? Now we don’t even have seeds.” McDorman has worked directly with seeds for over 40 years. He says that most of the food produced in the state comes from seeds that aren’t native. At the Great American Seed Up, the goal is to get thousands of people to save and regenerate
see TERROS page 21
Pandemic grew interest in home gardening BY DIANA QUINTERO Cronkite News
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f you tried your hand at growing your own vegetables during the past year, you aren’t alone. Home gardening has taken off since the pandemic threatened food security and forced millions of Americans to stay home. According to a survey by nationwide supplier Bonnie Plants, more than 20 million Americans took up gardening for the first time in 2020. Last month at the Great American Seed Up in Phoenix, more than 400 Arizona
and not rely on food that was maybe not going to show up at the grocery store with our supply system that was interrupted.” The increased interest in gardening may also have been due to people simply having more time at home. Some people may have considered growing their own food in the past but were too busy, but COVID-19 forced people to spend more time at home. Shortages and supply chain issues during the national emergency have played a role in the trust individuals have in our food systems. “We’ve got, what, 36 hours’ worth of
see SEEDS page 23
