the [Food and Drug Administration] into mislabel- ing the drug so it was presented as nonaddictive,” McColgin said. In 2020, a little more than one prescription was issued on average for every four residents in Brazo- ria County with a little more than two prescriptions
disorder care through telehealth services as opposed to in-person and personal programs, complicating opioid recovery for patients. Fenorris Pearson—the founder, president and CEO of Pursuit of Hope, a Pearland-based outpatient rehabilitation facility—said the pandemic has cre- ated difficulties for those seek- ing treatment.
State funding and educational resources were implemented to curb opioid addiction and overdoses. THE CRISIS SETTLEMENTS TO ROLL OUT Galveston County: $1.12 million
being issued for every five res- idents in Galveston County, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. On the other hand, the dis- pensing rate declined sharply for both Brazoria and Galveston counties between 2018-19 and continued to slightly decrease in 2020. Despite declining dis- pensing rates countywide and across the state, reported opioid overdose deaths rose 25% from 2019-20 in Texas, per the NCHS. According to the CDC, syn-
“The pandemic affected our clients in a major way, and for some, it created a deeper state of depression, and it depleted their financial resources, which affects their ability to access the clinic on a consistent basis,” Pearson said. “If you think about what the pandemic has done, group health is a big part of what we do. We have not been able to do a lot of that.” Despite being less effective,
“TOBE HONESTWITH YOU, I WAS NEVER SCAREDOF ANYTHING. IT DIDN’TMATTER; I WANTED ITAS STRONG
Brazoria County: $1.02 million
Pearland: $333,752
AS I COULDGET IT. THIS SCARESME.” LES MCCOLGIN, LIAISON FOR HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER
Friendswood: $140,330
Local cities are expected to receive funds from state settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. SETTLEMENT FUNDING USES
thetic opioids, such as fentanyl, have been one of the major driving forces in the rise of overdose deaths. One of the reasons for this, McColgin said, is fentanyl is unknowingly being put into other drugs and showing up in more overdoses and deaths than it had been previously. “To be honest with you, I was never scared of any- thing. It didn’t matter; I wanted it as strong as I could get it. This scares me,” McColgin said. Due to his experience, McColgin has conducted training for the Pearland Police Department and other similar entities on fentanyl and the use of Nar- can, a nasal spray that can be administered during suspected overdoses. Mary Beth Trevino, the Galveston County com- munity coalition coordinator at addiction treatment center Bay Area Council on Drugs and Alcohol, agreed fentanyl is especially dangerous. “Illegal-opioid addiction is a very big problem, especially fentanyl,” she said. “We have data to sup- port that there has been a significant increase in fen- tanyl showing up [in Galveston and Harris counties].” Pandemic effects on treatment Varisco described several underlying causes of substance use disorders the pandemic has exac- erbated, including patient access to treatment, increased financial stresses and isolation. Varisco said he believes the drastic changes to health care for individuals experiencing addiction undid recovery work performed for patients before the pandemic. According to the Treatment Episode Data Set, which compiles national patient discharges from treatment for the Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administration, detoxification treatment discharges became less common from 2016-19, when detoxification discharges decreased from 20% of all discharges to 16%. However, the patient completion rate of detoxification treatment remained stable with fewer than half of patients completing treatment. “When you have a destabilizing event like a global pandemic, [vulnerabilities in health structures] become more evident,” Varisco said. With in-person treatment at risk due to the coro- navirus, health care centers went remote in 2020. Many centers were limited to offering substance use
telehealth did allow some smaller clinics and pri- vate practices to expand their coverage areas. Lori Fiester, the clinical director at the Houston-based nonprofit Council on Recovery, said telehealth allowed patients without transportation access or those who are immunocompromised to receive care. “We’ve had people across the state in our groups, including in the Austin area, which was really help- ful for our groups to stay vital,” Fiester said. At the beginning of the pandemic, Varisco said there was some confusion about what treatments were acceptable. A 2020 memo from Phil Wilson, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission executive commissioner, said buprenorphine could be prescribed virtually, but methadone required a face-to-face evaluation. According to the SAMHSA, buprenorphine and methadone are FDA-approved drugs used in combi- nation with counseling to treat opioid use disorders. “I don’t know if [the policy] was well understood by providers, and that led to lapses in our treat- ment,” Varisco said. Some barriers for treatment go beyond drug-re- lated issues. Varisco and Pearson both agreed the lack of accessible public transportation in Texas increases the difficulty for lower-income patients. “If you’re prescribed for buprenorphine or metha- done or whatever, you have to take a bus across the city [of Houston] to get the prescription,” Varisco said. “Proximity to care is just not there.” Government solutions State and county entities are working to address the opioid epidemic and the effects the pandemic have on recovery through local funding, law enforcement resources and increased education surrounding opi- oid misuse. Many officials agreed the use of Narcan should be encouraged and used by emergency agencies. Data for the usage of Narcan can be hard to track based on the different usages of it, such as when it is used for cardiac arrests, according to Pearland Police Department Officer Chad Rogers, who has under- gone Narcan training. Despite this, it is a tool that is often shown in trainings. “Obviously the overdoses are taking place, and
Community drug disposal programs
Youth-focused education programs
Expanded telehealth to increase access to treatment
Fellowships for addiction medicine specialists
Expand first responder and law enforcement training
FIND HELP: Call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 800-662-4357 or visit www.samhsa.gov for resources and treatment.
SOURCE: TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
we do what we can to save their lives,” Rogers said. “Narcan gives us that option and that opportunity to save that person’s life who may have taken a lethal dose of that narcotic.” Statewide, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Feb. 16 that the state had secured a $1.17 billion settlement with major pharmaceutical companies. Pearland is set to receive $333,752 in set- tlement funding; Friendswoodwill receive $140,330; Brazoria County will receive around $1 million; and Galveston County will receive $1.1 million. McColgin encouraged people to disregard any previous notions they might have about opioids. “This idea that it’s only heroin addicts and hard- core drug addicts that are overdosing on this stuff has to be completely eliminated, or else we miss the most vulnerable people,” he said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com.
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PEARLAND - FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • APRIL 2022
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