2010 Massachusetts Budget

Right now the 2010 for Massachusetts  budget is on the floor of the House. I am asking everyone who reads this to please call or email their State Rep and ask for their vote and support to reinstate Dept. of Public Health’s Substance abuse services and specifically support Floor amendment 95. It takes 5 mins to do and would really be helpful and would help save lives. If you don’t know who your state rep is follow the link http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php.

 

 

Here is a sample script you can use when contact your representative

 

Thank you so much everyone!!!

 

Some of the work I am currently doing

                                 Opioid Overdose Prevention  

 

 

·        In  Massachusetts more people die from fatal overdose than from car accidents each year

·        On average about 12 Massachusetts residents die each week from opioid overdoses

·        Massachusetts was recently ranked in the top ten of substance abusing states

·        In 2008 53.9% of admissions to treatment facilities were for heroin and or opioids for the entire city of Boston

·        In 2008 73.3% of admissions to treatment facilities were for heroin and or opioids for South Boston.

·         This means South Boston is 20% higher than the city of Boston’s averages in opioid use

·        In 2006 South Boston’s substance abuse mortality was 52.6 deaths per 100,000 population making it the second highest substance abuse mortality rate in the city of Boston.

·        From 2004 to 2006 there were 217 reported cases of opioid overdoses in South Boston

·         Of those reported cases 17 were fatal.

 

 The South Boston Masscall2 Grant seeks to reduce the amount of fatal overdoses through education around loss of tolerance upon discharge from treatment facilities, correction institutions and through the court system.

 

Information and statistics were gathered from the following sources: MA DPH Substance Abuse Services, MA DPH Data Registry of Vital Statistics, and the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

 

 

Yes Yes I know

I’ve neglected posting here..real life stuff got hectic around the holidays but I promise there are plenty of things written and brewing in this head of mine..So in the next couple days be on the look out for some new posts.

 

Paul’s epic battle with a fake Christmas tree

 Two years ago I wrote this for another blog. I figured I would repost it here as my readership has changed slighty. It still basically sums up my Christmas experiences….Enjoy and Happy Holidays

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  Ok not very epic, but in the ongoing tradition of not only mocking others but mocking myself I have decided to regale others with my attempt at holiday cheer…

 First of all I need to make some valid points as to why battling with a Christmas tree is not so surprising for me.

 1. I am not the most coordinated of individuals. I am the same person that suffered major bodily harm from not only one but two air conditioners this past summer. I am also the same person who was kicked out of the Regatta Inn on Cape Cod for literally destroying an entire room filled with patrons due to my awkwardness….( another blog entry for another time)

 2. This project was suggested by my therapist due to as he said “my complete and utter lack of holiday spirit”

 3. I historically am not a fan of November and December…It seems that crappy things have always happened during this month.

 4. I once told a Salvation Army Santa to piss off  because he wished me a Merry Christmas…..

That being said I decided that in the attempt to continue my self improvement and listen to the suggestions of others I would decorate my apartment that right now resembles Soviet era living quarters…I decide first I need a tree. Here is a key point. I do not own a car, I take public transportation everywhere. So I guess a real tree is out of the question.

 I purchase a large box which contains what I incorrectly assume only a couple pieces that can be assembled quickly. I lug the huge box to the train and make my way home. At my stop I get out and flag down a cab rather than struggle with the huge box on the bus…I also do not have a good history with cabs since the “dead cat in the box incident” (again another blog, another time). I motion to the cab driver to pop the trunk so that I may place my newly acquired tree and lights in there. He motions back and does not do a thing..He mutters something in a language that I can only assume is either Latin or Aramaic (neither of which I or anyone currently living speak). Again I motion to the trunk and yet again he yells at me..Fine this is how we are going to do this…I place the box in the door way and using my rather scrawny frame shove it and myself into the cab…I ride cramped and pissed off to my house.

  Once in my house I discover how much my cat enjoys bright shiny objects.. He attacks the bags of lights and ornaments like Dick Cheney on a hunting trip…..I shoo him away…

   I open my new Christmas tree after I turn some music on. Lets just say the new My Chemical Romance album is as close as I can get to Christmas music…I open the box and realize its one of those fake trees with all the branches that are separate..

Ohh Piss!

  My cat entertains himself by launching himself at my head every time I put one of the 48 branches on…

 At this point I literally am covered in greenery trashing on the floor with a 10 lb black cat attached to my face who thinks this is play time..

After about 2 hours I finish …I string the lights, hang the ornaments, and I stand back to look at my work…

 At which point I see my cat strategically scaling the tree…As I yell in slow motion to get down he shots to the top. The tree (which assembled is 6 feet tall) comes crashing down on me and I am left prone under the refuse of holiday cheer…

 Goddamit its going to be a long holiday season………

 

Currently listening : White Christmas By Bing Crosby

 

The Imperative of Opiate Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts

In 2006 there were more deaths from opiate overdoses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts than from traffic accidents. In that same year more overdose deaths than homicides.  This is not hyperbole nor is it alarmist.  It is merely the facts that in Massachusetts we are losing hundreds of our citizen to a public health epidemic that shows no signs of slowing. Instead with the influx of a higher grade of heroin in larger supply, it will only increase.  The heroin has become cheaper, a stronger “high”, and more plentiful on our streets.  With experimentation of narcotics happening at a younger age, not only is it important we find ways to treat the rising tide of addiction but it is a necessity to secure the future health of the next generation.

   By focusing on narcotics I do not seek to minimize the health concerns of other substance use disorders. However in my opinion, opiate addiction has become such an acute issue that we need to quickly act and focus our attention on addressing the needs of this subset of an overarching social concern.  There is a viral component to substance abuse. When an individual has a clinical issue such as diabetes they themselves are the ones who deal with the outcomes of their condition. When an individual has the clinical issue of substance abuse the outcomes of their condition often affect not only those in their immediate proximity but also that of the community on a whole. Police intervention increases, hospital visits become more frequent, and public service programs already burdened by a large population become that much more taxed.  By treating opiate addiction we are not only thinking in terms of a humanitarian public health response but also that of a fiscal response. If opiate addiction is treated in the early stages in becomes more manageable system wide.  Any number of public services i.e. police, e.m.t., emergency rooms, shelters would benefit from less strain to their already limited resources.

   How does one treat opiate addiction if it is so prevalent and widespread? The most crucial aspect is educating both the public and the abuser that addiction is a clinical issue. This is a medical condition to be treated as we treat any progressive and life threatening illness. Does this mean we condone the actions of the addict? No.  We must recognize that some behaviors however are symptoms of the underlying illness, and by treating that illness we will in fact alleviate some, if not all of those symptoms.  The other key to treating this addiction is having the resources from a public health sector available to both identify the substance use and have adequate resources in place to treat. This means publically funding programs that not only detoxify the person but teach them to live without the drug in their life. Also it means having not for profits that focus on addictions working collaboratively to come up with systemic policies that would help universalize treatment.

    This is in no means an easy feat. This initiative in all its forms would take the hard work and dedication of most all individuals from the statehouse to the direct care worker in a detox.  I have no doubt though that the severity of this issue will be met with the resolve and compassion that the Commonwealth has always shown