On April 17th, 2019, the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force charged 60 people in 7 states as part of the largest government takedown during our National Opioid Epidemic. The charges were for illegally prescribing and distributing millions of pills such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and other drugs.
Among the defendants were 53 doctors, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals. A fair question after removing so many doctors, pharmacists, and medical professional from their posts is what does this mean for those patients and communities?
In this video, we chat with our Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Health, Dr. Stephen Taylor to best answer this question and more.
Patients who suffer from substance abuse disorders like opioid addiction and dependency, alcohol addiction, and other illicit drug use are victimized when their medical care providers do not offer evidence-based treatment and therapies.
First, it’s time for society to no longer hold negative connotations against those with mental health disorders and addiction. We must realize that these often are co-occurring disorders and do our part to shatter the stigma so they can have the support they need to take the first into an evidence-based recovery program. (Read more about supporting someone in recovery.)
Dr. Stephen Taylor is a thoughtful and articulate psychiatrist with over 20 years of practice experience. IN the above video he addresses the importance of eliminating the stigma surrounding those who are fighting addiction and what one needs to look for, understand and ask when seeking evidence-based treatment.
Dr. Taylor’s life’s work and greatest passion, both as a quadruple-board-certified practitioner and as an educator and presenter to various audiences, has been to provide education and specialized care to adolescent and young adult patients and their families afflicted with drug and alcohol addictions and general psychiatric disorders. You can learn more about him here.
We enjoyed speaking with him and hoped you find his wisdom helpful as you learn more. If you or someone you love is looking for an evidence-based, outpatient treatment option for addiction, dependency or mental health disorder or would like to talk with one of our staff about options, you can find a Pathway Healthcare treatment office near you.
For more resources, you can visit our Page on how to support people in recovery. We know sometimes those around individuals in recovery want to support their family and friends, but maybe don’t know how. We have some suggestions here: https://pathwayhealthcare.com/how-to-support-people-in-recovery/
