Surry County, like most of the nation, has long been plagued with a deadly opioid epidemic, claiming the lives of scores of local residents each year.
But the county, under the direction of Opioid Response Director Mark Willis, has launched a new program aimed at helping those who are using opioids and other drugs — the Surry County Intervention Team.
The team is a group of individuals who can work with people suffering from addiction to opioids and other drugs, stepping in by referral or when a person has a crisis event — such as an overdose hospital visit. The team members can work with the individual and his or her family, assess the type of treatment a person might need, then walk them through getting that treatment.
Willis said the team fills a void in the community treatment effort, with the ability to offer more focused follow-up.
Climbing cases
“We have six treatment facilities in the county, which is pretty much unprecedented,” Willis said.
Yet, the cases of opioid overdoses continue to climb. Around mid-May, John Shelton, Surry emergency services director, said the county was on pace to record more than 500 EMS calls for overdoses this year, far ahead of the county’s previous high of 372, set in 2018.
Those numbers are just from the calls to which the EMS responds. Shelton said some individuals suffering from an OD are taken to area hospitals by friends or family members, while others will self-treat an OD with the drug Narcan (naloxone) without ever seeking medical care. Neither one of those groups are included in his figures.
Even for those who do receive emergency medical care, Willis said it’s difficult for the county’s Opioid Response office to intervene. EMS and hospital officials will often hand out literature to victims explaining there is help available, but there’s little if any follow-up afterward.
“I think our local hospitals and law enforcement make that effort to make sure information for providers is out there,” but there was no way to ensure individuals got help, even if they wanted it, said Emily McPeak, director of Daymark Recovery Services of Mount Airy. “Once someone overdoses, or has a crisis event, you can give them that information, but they really need that crisis follow-up.”
That is what the intervention team is hoping to change.
Willis said the program is simple: When someone interacts with local EMS or hospital officials, they will receive literature and treatment options as they have been, but now they will also be offered an opportunity to sign a consent form allowing the intervention team members to contact them.
Once that consent is secured, the team moves into action.
Amanda Moncus, Substance Use Disorder Intervention Team leader, said she tries to make contact with the person by phone — a task which sometimes takes several attempts. Once that contact has been made, then she and her team can meet with the person, help design a recovery plan, and see them through that plan.
Those plans can vary greatly, McPeak said. She said there are intensive outpatient programs, which consists of three meetings a week, for three hours at a time; a medication assisted program; some outpatient work at medical centers; even the ability to enroll those needing more help into inpatient treatment options.
Sometimes, she said, the treatment plan for an individual could consist of overlapping efforts and, when appropriate, include mental health treatment.
Moncus said those who need help, or those with a relative or loved one who needs help, can reach out to the group for assistance without waiting for a medical crisis, by contacting the Mobile Engagement Team at (336) 899-1585.
“If a consumer has a mental health or substance abuse crisis, and they are wanting to have someone speak to them that day, they can reach out through that number, have a person come out … within two to three hours. They complete an assessment and try to get that person connected to whatever service they need.”
The number, officials stress, is not for immediate medical emergencies; those should still be handled by calling 9-1-1.
Unexpected challenge
The program began a slow, measured rollout at the first of February, but then COVID-19 began spreading, North Carolina was put under a state of emergency, and that significantly hampered the planned rollout of the program.
Still, McPeak said they’ve had 14 individuals use the program.
“We’ve gotten them connected with treatment,” she said, adding that most remain in the treatment programs.
Now that the state is starting to reopen, and local hospitals have not been inundated with COVID-19 cases, she said she’s hopeful the program will pick up steam, get more people into treatment and slow the spread of drug use in the county.
“As we start to return to normal people will see we are here, we have been here … feel free to reach out to us, at least give us a chance to try to help them any way we can,” Moncus said.
“We want our community to know we understand everyone is going through COVID-19, but we are here, that team is here and ready to serve the community right now. We do want the county as a whole to know we were here to support anyone who is struggling with addiction.”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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