To combat the ongoing opiate epidemic, the nation must acknowledge addiction as a mental illness and increase the availability of treatment options, local addiction experts said Monday.
The roundtable discussion, held at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, tackled the complexities of battling the disease, which now has an annual death toll that’s surpassed car crashes and gun violence across the country.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, gathered the experts to the event, which attracted a couple dozen people. He said recent estimates show 200,000 Ohioans are currently addicted to opiates, which include prescription painkillers and heroin.
“That’s roughly the size of Akron,” he said, prompting gasps in the room.
Tammy Jensen, Oriana House’s program administrator, said wait lists for treatment centers in Summit County can reach up to 14 weeks for men and four weeks for women. Right now, there are more than 140 people waiting for beds.
Portman said those wait times are a serious concern.
“A lot can happen in 14 weeks,” he said.
Jerry Craig, executive director of the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board, moderated the panel. He said the ADM Board and other addiction resources have worked to fight the epidemic — but their resources are limited.
“Sometimes it feels like we’re fighting a wildfire with a garden hose,” Craig said.
Portman took the opportunity to discuss the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which he co-authored. The federal bill, which has passed the Senate with a 94-1 vote and awaits approval by the House of Representatives, would expand prevention and educational efforts for addiction and provide funding for treatment and policing programs.
Denny Wilson, the founder and CEO of F I Community Housing, spoke during the panel discussion about the need for more treatment resources. The organization he heads provides recovering addicts with treatment housing alongside peers.
“We could create 100 new beds every day and still not fill the need,” he said.
Reba McCray, a recovering addict with seven years of sobriety, also was on the panel. She now works as a recovery coach for Oriana House.
The public isn’t talking enough about success stories, she said, adding that there is too much focus on the deaths the epidemic has caused.
“There are recovery stories,” she said.
She agreed that recovery housing is necessary because many addicts go through detoxification when they decide they want help, only to return to toxic family and friends who encourage relapse. Living alongside other recovering addicts means a greater chance at recovery, she said.
Travis Bornstein, an addiction advocate whose son died of an opiate overdose, said too many people still view addiction as a moral failure rather than a brain disease.
He urged politicians and experts to make a point to identify addiction as a disease whenever they talk about it.
“You’re killing us if you don’t,” he said.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.