CONFERENCES

Dr. Fletcher at the ABA Opioid Summit May, 2021

Dr. Fletcher Speech Cited In Lane Report

Above, Dr. Fletcher (left) with Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers.

The Lane Report story also highlighted the contributions of other experts in attendance.

Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson opened the conference by asserting that Kentucky businesses want and need to be a part of “turning the tide” against the opioid epidemic. The key, he said, is getting people back to work which in turn benefits not just individuals but also their families and communities.

Several speakers shared their own personal stories of addiction.

UK basketball star Rex Chapman told of taking 40 Vicodin and 10 Oxycodone per day after an emergency surgery for an injury that threatened his professional basketball career. Chapman has been in recovery for five years now and is using his story to help others.

Patrick Kullman explained how a job injury eventually led him to heroine when the cost of pain-killer pills reached $70 a day and he heard that he could get a similar high on heroin for $5.

Pat Fogarty, the Director of Community Relations at Alkermes, a major pharmaceutical manufacturer, told of his own incarceration, overdose, and loss of close relationships. He strongly endorses what worked for him: treatment, employment during recovery, and transitional living.

Although he served as Director of National Drug Control Policy under the Obama Administration and currently serves as Executive Director of the Grayken Center for Addiction at the Boston Medical Center, Michael Botticelli told how he, too, experienced a Substance Use Disorder. Unfortunately, people struggling with addiction often don’t seek help, said Botticelli, because they’re afraid of what their employer might think and the negative effect it may have on their job. He noted that the cost of addiction treatment for employers continues to rise, in part because many employers choose expensive out of state treatments without knowing better.

Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy Executive Director Van Ingram called the opioid crisis a kind of “perfect storm” in that the marketing of opioids reached its high mark at precisely the same time that America changed its approach to treating pain.

Dr. Katie Marks, Project Director of the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort under the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, stressed the need for long-term recovery by adhering to the principles of availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality.

Eric Bailly, Business Solutions Director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, made a strong case for business involvement by noting that 70% of those with substance use disorder are employed. The costs to employers are numerous and significant, said Bailey, and include lost time, turnover, and retraining as well as medical expenses.

LG&E Corporate Health and Wellness Leader Amanda Elder seconded Bailly’s assessment. Because the opioid crisis took a long time to develop it will naturally take a long time to resolve, she said. The key is for employers to discuss, learn and take action now.

Jamie Johnson, Director of Operations at Dorman Products, shared a personal story that motivated him to implement an innovative corporate plan called SPAR—“Support, Prevention, Attention, and Reach.”

Jenny Burke, Senior Director of Advocacy at the National Safety Council, noted that only two in every five businesses are taking action of any kind to combat the opioid crisis. She noted that, although roughly one out of ten Americans could benefit from recovery, only a small number actually receive treatment. To increase awareness, Burke’s organization has created a substance use cost calculator so that employers can quickly gain a real understanding of what untreated substance use disorders cost them.

U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman admitted that law enforcement cannot “arrest its way out” of the opioid crisis. The problem will only be solved, he said, by combining treatment and prevention with enforcement. He added that businesses and providers are uniquely positioned to scale up prevention efforts.

Dr. Sharon Walsh, Director of the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research at the University of Kentucky, emphasized the need for evidence-based treatment and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Only one in ten individuals with an opioid use disorder are offered evidence-based care, said Walsh. She cited numerous inhibiting factors including a lack of providers, the cost of such drugs, insurance restrictions, stigma and discrimination, and a lack of understanding as to how MAT works.

In addition to individual speakers, a panel of employers, educators and drug enforcement officers discussed their efforts to reduce and prevent opioid misuse.  Christopher Evans said the opioid epidemic is clearly the largest drug threat he’s seen during his 26 years as a DEA agent. Two important initiatives were discussed in detail—Discovery Education’s “Operation Prevention” and the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s effort called “Sharing Solutions.”

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce—the host of the annual opioid summit—is doing its part, too. It announced the launch of its own Opioid Response Program for Business that will seek to destigmatize addiction and support employers in their efforts to prevent and treat opioid addiction.

To read the entire highly detailed and well-written report, click Lane Report.

Fletcher Group Makes Strong Presentation At Rx Summit

The nation’s leading policy makers and innovators gather each year at the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta to discuss challenges and solutions relating to the national opioid crisis. It is the largest and most influential gathering of its kind with past speakers including Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and Newt Gingrich.

The Fletcher Group’s unique “Recovery Ecosystems” model for recovery housing was presented April 25 by Fletcher Group CEO Dave Johnson. His presentation at the RX Summit can be viewed in its entirety below.