How can Colorado change the opioid crisis?

Colorado is known for being one of the highest in the United States for opioid addiction. There seems to be a plethora of information on the issue, but know real answer. Opioid addiction is the killer of drugs in Colorado, but also through the United States. This awful addiction destroys lives for everyone who is addicted or has loved ones that are. Once addicted, it becomes a disease, that is hard to battle and overcome.

 I want to give a brief explanation on what opiates are and what they do to some one. Opioid painkillers is a prescription drug. The painkillers are used to reduce pain in a more mild way, and is a slower acting formula once taken. Heroin is an illegal opioid drug. Heroin is administered through injection, and is a fast acting feeling once injected. The two are similar because of the side affects it has on a persons brain. It gives a similar euphoria feeling and drowsiness.

This drug derived from an opium poppy plant. They extract the substance from the plant and medical professionals create the substance into codeine, morphine, methadone, and other people use/sell the illicit street drug, heroin. This is highly addictive once taken for a certain length of time, and most people that are addict to painkillers, usually turn to heroin because its cheaper.

After all my research I feel like asking, how can Colorado change the opioid crisis? My source that I am introducing is about Colorado legislators trying to support the prevention of drugs. It goes on explaining how they are working towards the crisis in hope to combat it. 

The source is called Colorado To Receive Federal Aid In Fight Against Opioid Crisis. The article was published November 9th, 2017 by Angie Haflich. She explains, "a bipartisan panel of legislators in Colorado supported a package of six bills aimed at preventing and treating the state’s opioid crisis." (Haflich) She explains further "Now, the state is spending $1 million to create a drug-abuse research center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora that will focus on expanding prevention, treatment and recovery initiatives." (Haflich)

 If I pull together all the research from my previous blogs, my concern is why are we spending money on a research center if we just closed a treatment facility this year due to funding? My two other sources showed where Colorado has a high percentage of deaths from opiates, and it showed the most services in those same areas. In my opinion, there seems to be confusion on what direction should be taken. Learning about the issue has helped me understand some of the steps that has to be taken in order to help the epidemic. Although, I would still like to argue that Colorado is weak in areas of services and treatments.

Haflich, Angie. "Colorado to Receive Federal Aid in Fight Against Opioid Crisis", High Plains Public Radio. 9. November. 2017. URL.

http://hppr.org/post/colorado-receive-federal-aid-fight-against-opioid-crisis

Is the problem federal and state budget?

I'm beginning to wonder when doing my research, if my efforts in finding information on federal and state funding is the only reason this epidemic has continued to climb. In my search I found a source that provides information on the federal budget, and how it is affecting Colorado's state budget. The source is  How Could Federal Budget Changes Affect Colorado's State Budget? The source is about the federal budget changing and how it will affect state budget for Colorado. It explains how much the state government relies on the federal funding for all programs. The federal funds are given to state agencies, and divided up amongst those agencies. The author Nathaniel Minor gives a break down of the budget from federal funds that go to state agencies.

In response to the information I have provided, human services receives a substantial amount of money. They are fourth down on the list for being the highest in receiving federal funds. The author states that "The Department of Human Services gets $230 million of federal money that goes to programs like food stamps and heat assistance, $100 million to the division of child welfare, and $85 million to the office of early childhood."( Minor) This gives me an idea on what other services are within this budget. Once I reviewed my third source, I compared it with the last two. My first source provided me with some information on one of Colorado's facilities closing due to insufficient funds. My second source showed a map of Colorado and the area's that have very few services, or no services. My third source provided helpful information on federal and state budget, though it did not give me a list of what everything is spent on for budget. 

Some thoughts came to mind when questioning the sources: Does the state receive enough funds to cover the cost for the opioid addiction, or does the state just spend too much on other services? Is the opioid crisis in the Colorado not as important to resolve than anything else? The more research I do, brings me to believe that its a battle that can't be won. I keep wondering if the reason the opioid crisis has gotten worse is because there isn't enough money to support it, or if it's not important enough to change. I decided to find another source that provided information on opioid overdose, and what regions had the highest death rates.  The source I found is What does the opioid crisis look like in Colorado?

Author shanna Grove explains "As the CDPHE map below shows, the regions with the highest rates for opioid-related overdose deaths from 2013-2015 were Pueblo, Adams and Denver." (Grove)

These three areas are the highest for death rates, but you still have areas that are covering Colorado. My last source provided a map of the areas that had services. They both provide information on the same areas in Colorado. The state seems to have services where the higher drug overdose rates are happening. The most services in Colorado are where it has blue, and the yellow areas only provide one type of service. This brings me back to what the funding provides for these services. Also, if the highest rates for overdose are in the areas where services are, why is it so high? Are people being turned away from care? Can anyone receive the care they need? 

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/where-are-the-federal-dollars-in-colorados-state-budget

Minor, Nathaniel. "How could federal budget changes affect Colorado's state budget." Colorado Public Radio (2017.). URL.

 Grove, Shanna. "What does the opioid crisis look like in Colorado." 9 News (2017.). URL.

http://www.9news.com/article/news/local/verify/verify-what-does-the-opioid-crisis-look-like-in-colorado/486443763

Where are the treatment facilities in Colorado?

In my first blog, I was wondering if Colorado had enough services to combat the opioid crisis, and what may be the result in Colorado being high up on the list for opioid addiction. I came across a source that provided me with some data on where there is missing gaps in the state for treatment. Colorado's opioid epidemic explained in 10 graphics 

The article addresses their being multiple treatment and recovery services needed for opioid addiction,which made me wonder if that may be the reason there are gaps for care in the state.The blue section covers four types of services in the area, the red indicating there is no access to any services, and the yellow providing only one type of service. The author explains, "The state's problem is not the worst in the nation --actually the state ranks in the middle of the pack -- but significant gaps in prevention and treatment for drug addiction remain, according to experts." (Frank)

                                       

Going back to my first blog, the article explained that the federal and state funding was not enough to keep the facility from closing down.The author stated that it was due to funding, so If I compare my first source with my second, the question that I'm debating is,would the gaps in care be because the cost is too high for treatment? Or do we have limitations on how we use the funding? I need to search more on the topic, and find out what exactly Colorado receives for funding yearly, and how it is distributed. Finding out how much Colorado receives, and what the funding is spent on, might explain why their are large gaps in care for drug treatment services.

Frank, John."Colorado opioid epidemic explained in 10 graphics". "The Denver Post." 6. Nov. 2017.URL.

https://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/06/colorado-opioid-epidemic-explained-10-graphics/

Is there enough opioid services in Colorado?

Have you all been wondering why this country has not taken control of the opioid epidemic? In this blog, I will be researching the inadequate opioid services in Colorado. I want to know more about why Colorado doesn't have enough resources, and why so many lives are still being destroyed. With Colorado's death rate still climbing, I'm curious to dig deeper on the matter. This topic interested me because I have watched loved ones suffer from an opioid addiction, and there just wasn't enough resources to get the help they needed. Why are people being turned away from an addiction? What other options are out there for quality care?

The first source that I read was an article from The Denver Business Journal Longtime drug and alcohol treatment center is closing down published by Caitlin Hendee. The article explains that the facility has been around for 42 years and due to limited funding will be closing down.The author states "that the organization receives about 10 million annually from both medicaid and federal and state block grant funding, but that the money is not enough to cover the gaps in care"(Hendee).

I'm curious to look further into the issue. Although the article doesn't give enough information on their funding status, I can research what the federal and state block grant fund is about, that is to say, the issue derives from just funding. Another thought was the type of care Colorado would need for opioid addiction.

 Carefully reviewing the article, I had some question I thought of:

 What could be the cause of the states limited funding? 

What does a federal and state block funding cover for cost of care? 

Does the federal and state funding cover other services that do not involve opioid services?

 Hendee, Caitlin, "Longtime Colorado drug and alcohol treatment center is closing down". The Denver Post. 16. December. 2017. URL.

 https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/12/15/longtime-substance-use-disorder-clinic-shuttering.html