Invest in rehab for addicts
I am writing in response to the informative article in the Aug. 13 edition by Joseph Manning about being on the frontlines of the opioid crisis. This is an issue I am passionate about.
We are losing our young people. We need them. I don’t believe the question is whether or not to administer Narcan to the same patient more than once. The question is what do after Narcan is first administered. Where is the follow-up care? Isn’t opioid possession and abuse illegal?
What if a patient is brought back with Narcan and forced to stay in a specialty rehabilitation institution for six months? Twenty-eight days is not enough. Isn’t the patient a danger to themselves at this point? This would be more costly than another dose of Narcan.
I want to invest my tax dollars in this population. They are worth it. After all, one recovered addict is the greatest ammunition against the opioid epidemic. This would also lift the burden on first responders.
Georgia Metsger
Morgan