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.
