The deadly heroin epidemic in Northeast Ohio was the focus of the Heroin Summit that took place in late November at the InterContinental Hotel in Cleveland. A meeting took place Friday at the U.S. Attorneys Office in Cleveland signals the determination of the summits organizers to keep the issue at the forefront of public and political discussion. Those of us in leadership positions on this believe it is very important to maintain momentum and sustain the collaboration that was there at the Heroin Summit, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. At the top of the agenda of Fridays meeting was continued refinement of the community action plan that came out of Novembers summit. The first draft of that plan was broken down into four areas of concentration: prevention and education, health care policy, law enforcement and treatment. Among the measures recommended in the plan are educational outreach programs warning about the dangers of using heroin and other opiates. The plan advocates for passage of bills currently under consideration by the Ohio House of Representatives that would greatly improve treatment of heroin and opiate overdose. Also recommended is toughening of legislation that governs the prescribing and distribution of powerful pain medications widely regarded to be gateways to heroin and opiate addiction. Dr. Joan Papp, an emergency medicine specialist at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, was a summit organizer. Papp also is medical director of the Cuyahoga County arm of Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone). Naloxone is a drug commonly used by emergency medicine specialists and hospitals to immediately reverse the life-threatening effects of heroin and opiate overdose. Papp is lobbying for the passage of Ohio House Bill 170. It would authorize distribution of Naloxone to all first responders. People are dying. We need to reduce the mortality, Papp said. I personally am very invested in this, Papp added. All of us involved with the summit are extremely motivated. We wont let this go. In its law enforcement section, the action plan makes recommendations for dealing with heroin and opiate users. Summarized, those recommendations favor treatment over incarceration. The action plan advocates much stricter courses of action against heroin and opiate traffickers, including enhanced sentences and manslaughter charges in cases where users die of overdoses. Apprised of the action plans recommendations for dealing with users and traffickers, Euclid Police Lt. Scott Meyer said he was in general agreement. Meyer is supervisor of the departments narcotics and vice unit. He works with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Cleveland as a member of the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force. Its encouraging that (summit organizers) have recognized the extent of this problem, Meyer said. Steve Dettelbach is a realist. He gets it. Meyer is taking a wait-and-see attitude with the action plans recommendations for enhanced sentences for transfers. Thats an excellent idea, but right now, I dont see anybody going away for substantial periods of time, Meyer said. The (Cuyahoga County) prosecutor has to take the lead. Whatever reservations he has about specifics of the action plan, Meyer wholeheartedly supports its overall aim of aggressively tackling the heroin epidemic. We cant arrest our way out of this or spend our way out of this, Meyer said. Doing nothing is not an option.Document: Community action plan developed at Heroin SummitRelated: Series on heroin in Northeast OhioNortheast Ohio suburbanites falling prey to heroins pull in deadly ways (with video)As heroin surges in Northeast Ohio, marijuana remains most widely used illegal drug (with video)After National Guardsman overdoses, family creates repository of heroin information (with video)Dangerous path from pain pills use to heroin addictionSeek help if you suspect drug addiction (with video)
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 05:09:27 +0000
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