Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo, flanked by legislators and law enforcement officials, announced an effort to help find solutions to Kentucky’s drug problem during a conference at the Hazard ARH on Monday. (photo by Joshua Byers)
Sandlin, a 57-year-old physician at the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation’s Leatherwood/Little Blackey Clinic, was the victim of a shooting recently at the hands of a disgruntled patient who was allegedly upset over being denied a prescription for medications.
“No family has been left untouched by prescription drugs,” Mongiardo said in announcing an initiative to form a task force of all area leaders to ultimately come up with a better way to attack the scourge of prescription drug abuse that plagues the state of Kentucky. “This can not be a political approach or a partisan approach, we need everyone’s help.”
Beginning in January there will be 7 to 8 task force meetings with all of those affected by the problem including law enforcement, physicians, judges and Operation UNITE. The goal is to come up with an effective outline of solutions that will help to break the cycle of prescription drug abuse.
Karen Engle, executive director of UNITE, asked everyone in the room to stand. She then told them to sit down if they didn’t know of someone that had been affected by prescription drug abuse. Not a body took a seat.
“What we’ve learned is that there’s not a silver bullet to stop drug addiction,” she said. “At the end of the day we have to ask what more can we do. Addicts aren’t bad people.”
Mike Caudill, CEO of Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation, said Dr. Sandlin spent his last few moments of life trying to talk the shooter out of further action and in doing so allowed others to escape.
“He was a long time physician of Hazard, Buckhorn and in this office (Leatherwood Little Blackey Clinic), he had a lot of patients that followed him here,” Caudill said.
ARH Physician Dr. Pampati said he knew Dr. Sandlin for more than 20 years.
“It’s sad what happened … my wife called and said ‘did you hear?’” he recalled. “But this is not something new. In the last 10 to 15 years I’ve seen a big surge in the prescription drug problem.”
Pampati said solutions could involve better security and education in our community schools. He added that there needs to be a focus on his own profession.
“There are five pain clinics on this hill alone,” he said, adding cards with patients’ medical history would also be an added boon for doctors in trying to do what their primary focus is: treating patients.
Judge Leigh Anne Stephens said the court system and law enforcement feel like they’re treading water in trying to combat the problem. She told of a case where person on parole had been clean for several months only to return to her office with a prescription for narcotics.
“We’ve already stretched our resources beyond what we can handle,” she said.
Stephens said she was excited about working to find a solution.
“Everyone has to deal with pain,” she said. “You can’t just stop and take a pill to get through the day.”
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said he was blown away to find out that the average age of first use for prescription pill abuse was 11 years old.
“It’s hard to think of an 11-year-old being in rehab.”
Post a Comment
