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.
It seems like there are so many deserving programs/agencies/etc., but that there is never enough government funding! This definitely makes one question how such decisions get made. For example, if the government had $100 dollars, how much should go to education vs. how much should go to something like this opioid epidemic?
ReplyDeleteWith opioids, we have a public health problem--some would say crisis. In this way, we might argue that solving this issue has to come before a lot of others. If the problem were a major disease outbreak, we might act very quickly. So, have we not solved the opioid issue because its too complicated, and/or because it is often impacting people who are already marginalized--adults of lower socioeconomic backgrounds?
Do we attach a moral judgment to drug and alcohol addiction such that it's harder to justify funding?
You make a really good point about attaching moral judgment. I feel like with this topic, it's not about having enough funding for the issue, but because we need the funding for the addiction. Thanks Allison!
ReplyDeleteHey Kacie,
ReplyDeleteI like that you are questioning this issue. This is growing problem across the country. I used to work in retail pharmacy and saw this every day. It was sad to see. You can really see the difference in the people that need these drugs for their condition vs the people that seem to be addicted to it. In some cases these patients would be given other medications to help kick the addiction to opioids, but then it was as though they got addicted to the medication to help kick the other. Sounds crazy, but it happens. There are more actors involved and there are ways to monitor it, but that is not enough. It would be nice to see what you come with as far as these people getting the help that they need and why there isn't enough out there. Good luck with your research, I look forward to reading more.
I like that you picked this issue. I work in the medical field and see a lot of people dealing with addiction and I too think that it would be nice to have more options for people who want help and more options for family members who would like to help out a loved one. I have not had to deal with this issue personally but I have a good friend who lost a loved one to addiction. Good job on your post.
ReplyDelete