Category: Granite News

Opiate addiction has become more common than most people are aware of, and it could even be considered a crisis in some states. In fact, the numbers regarding opiate addiction have become so alarming in the state of Arizona that Governor Ducey had to declare a state of emergency starting on June 5th, 2017, which only ended on May 29th, 2018. Although the number of victims and reported incidents have recently gone down, there’s still much to be done, as opiate addiction is still a major issue.

With that in mind, the Arizona Department of Health Services has done its best to track information on the opiate epidemic in order to treat victims and to be able to tell how much progress has been made. Since 2017, the numerous efforts made in the state include: updating the Arizona Opioid Prescribing Guidelines; implementing the Opioid Action Plan; conducting surveys in prisons and jails to find out more about interest in programs and programs already in an activity focused on opioid treatment and prevention.

By 2019, there was a clear decline in the number of prescriptions for opioids filled in the state of Arizona, which shows that promoting better monitoring of prescriptions seems to have been effective. The number of people who were prescribed opioids for more than five days (which is a risk factor for opiate addiction) also went significantly down. So, while prescription opioids are not the only issue in Arizona, they have certainly been more controlled. But as mentioned before, and as the facts point out, the numbers are not exactly good, and there is still a long way to go.

The Facts About The Opiate Epidemic

Most of the following facts about the opiate addiction crisis in Arizona only go as far back as 2017.

1. Since June 15th, 2017, there have been over 21,000 suspected opioid overdoses, and while not all overdoses are fatal, over 3,000 suspected opioid deaths have been reported in the same span of time.
2. In the first two months of 2019, there were 83 reported overdoses in the state involving fentanyl alone, 7 of which were fatal.
3. Although most opioid overdoses occurred from ages 25-34, there are cases reported for all ages, from as young as 1-year-olds to people over 75. Most victims of fatal opioid overdoses, however, were aged between 45-54 as of 2018.
4. The most common pre-existing condition reported for victims of verified overdoses linked to opioids are chronic pain in general, while the second and third pre-existing conditions reported were depression and anxiety, respectively.
5. Fentanyl is overall the most commonly found opiate drug in overdose scenarios, the second one being morphine, and the third one is hydrocodone.
6. In just the months of June through December in 2017, around 40% of those who had suspected opioid overdoses had up to nine or more prescriptions filled out for opioids, and 35% had opioid prescribed to them by 10 or more providers.
7. In 2017, the Department of Health Services of Arizona started a program to properly train first responders as well as law enforcement on using naloxone, which is applied in order to reverse an opioid overdose.
8. Since July 2017, over 19,000 naloxone kits have been ordered by law enforcement agencies, to be used by first responders helping victims of overdose.
9. Benzodiazepine is the non-opiate drug most commonly found in opiate overdose cases where more than one drug was found in the victim’s system.
10. Statistically, male victims of an overdose will more often have verified heroin, fentanyl, and morphine in their system than women; however, the number of cases where female victims overdosed on hydrocodone surpassed that of male ones.

While opiate addiction can happen to any and everyone, there are risk groups that need to be pinpointed in order to generate insights on what factors can affect potential addicts and what should be improved. For instance, the reason why inmates were surveyed is that they are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for an opioid-related issue, and 4.7 times more likely to die from one.

A lot of other factors can play a role in opiate addiction, from gender to age to pre-existing conditions and family history. It is also important to be extra careful when choosing a provider, for instance, as many prescriptions for opioids can be made in haste. That said, without the proper medical attention, the use of medication can turn into an addiction. After all, a lot of reported cases involve prescription opioids, so it is important to be extra careful.

And what’s more, keeping yourself informed can help understand addiction, whether you suffer from it or not, and understand that it is not just about wanting to quit or not. It is about getting the proper treatment, finding the actual root of the problem, triggers, and everything that caused it, so that there’s a chance to put an end to it.

If You or a Loved One is Facing an Opiate Addiction

Just like any other illnesses, addiction is treatable, and there are many processes to go about making an addict get their lives back on track. If you or someone you know needs help, help is available at Granite Mountain Behavioral Care, where we can sit down with you and talk about all your options. We will have no rush, as it is a life-changing decision to be made. Book a tour or an appointment with us at your earliest convenience, and we’ll do our best to meet your needs.

Our Recover Strong program aims to help not just by providing the psychological help you need to change, but by also working and helping you physically as you go along in the treatment – because recovery should happen inside and out.

References:

https://www.azdhs.gov/prevention/womens-childrens-health/injury-prevention/opioid-prevention/index.php

https://directorsblog.health.azdhs.gov/new-data-dashboard-helps-to-identify-opioid-trends-in-arizona/

https://www.azdhs.gov/prevention/womens-childrens-health/injury-prevention/opioid-prevention/opioids/index.php#dashboard

The Drugs of Arizona

As some might know, Arizona is a state which can be considered a gateway for drugs into the U.S., and that goes for a number of illicit drugs acquired outside of the country. While there are many ways for these drugs to get into the country, the state’s location alone is the reason why most drug trafficking happens in the state. And although a lot of these drugs are transported elsewhere, a large amount of drug abuse in Arizona is caused by the distribution of said drugs.

One clear example is the known Mexican Oxy, a drug manufactured to look like oxycodone, when it is in fact made up of fentanyl, in doses that can even be lethal. What is worse about these illicit drugs when compared to prescription drugs is that they are not properly manufactured, so its side effects are impossible to predict, control, and therefore, the user can be harder to treat or even to save in the case of an overdose.

Drug abuse in Arizona is directly linked to the drugs smuggled in, and while the biggest threats to the state are illicit drugs, there is one fact that cannot be overlooked: the use of prescription drugs and the opiate drug abuse in Arizona. At one point, the use was so out of control that, in 2017, the government had to declare a state of emergency, which was only lifted in 2018, almost a year later.

The Opiate Epidemic

While all types of drugs can be found in each state, the drugs which are found at alarming rates in the state of Arizona are classified as opiates. Opiates are all drugs that come from the opium poppy that act by affecting the pleasure receptors of the brain, which can give a user a strong but brief high. They are drugs both found in the state in the form of prescribed, controlled substances as well as illicit drugs.

That said, it is important to point out that these aren’t the only drugs that make up the list of the most commonly found substances. What’s worrisome is the fact that this “class” of drugs has taken over users in the state since a lot of them can be acquired legally and are prescribed easily. However, the government has taken exemplary measures to try and reduce the use and spread of prescription opiates so that this issue can be handled individually and separately.

Thankfully, the efforts have been fruitful, and there has been a decline in the number of prescriptions filled out in the state. But even though this certainly helps prevent illegal use and drug abuse in Arizona, since it is not the only root of the problem, more needs to be done regarding smuggling and distributing drugs in the state.

What are the biggest threats in Arizona?

Since 2003, multiple reports have been consistent in naming the same four most used and threatening substances in Arizona. According to some of the most recent reports, they are methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. While we’ll focus on these, for now, it is also relevant to say that club drugs, especially MDMA, have also done some significant damage, and pharmaceuticals like hydrocodone are also quite the threat.

Methamphetamine, popularly known as “meth”

• It is the highest threat for drug abuse in Arizona
• Most of the methamphetamine found in the state is actually traced back to Mexico, not produced in the state
• It has strong effects as it acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system
• Meth can be used in many ways, through smoking, snorting, injecting, or even eating it – which can be one of the reasons why the drug is so often abused in Arizona

Cocaine

• It can come in a number of different forms, such as crack cocaine and powdered cocaine
• As for cocaine abuse in Arizona, crack cocaine is more easily obtained in metropolitan areas like Tucson and Phoenix
• Made from coca leaves, it is then turned into paste and white powder to be used
• Like meth, it is a stimulant, giving a lot of energy to the user

Heroin

• Classified as an opioid, it has been catching the attention of law enforcement for over 10 years now
• Since 2003, it has been smuggled into the country and distributed in the state mostly by Mexican groups, especially Mexican black tar heroin
• Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid, and it was originally made from morphine, prescribed legally to inhibit pain

Marijuana

• A great subject of discussion in regards to its legalization in the country, it is now officially legalized for medical use in Arizona
• While it has been fully legalized in other states, it is important to state that it is possible to become addicted to it just as one can become addicted to licit substances, like alcohol, prescription opioids, etc.
• More often smoked, it has also been made into edible versions
• Has different strains of indica, sativa, and hybrids

From looking at this list, one of the main lessons to take is that it doesn’t matter if a substance comes from nature or a plant, if it is legal under certain conditions, and not even if its main ingredients or the drug itself can have medicinal purposes – drug abuse can still happen. It is important to look out for symptoms, and mainly, if its use is somehow interfering with the user’s life.

There Is Help No Matter The Case

Whether your addiction is mild or severe, whether the drug you have used is legalized or not, it is always possible to stop. The first step to stop drug abuse is to recognize drug abuse and acknowledge that it can happen to anyone. In a state such as Arizona, it can be hard to get away from certain habits and even to avoid what some describe as cycles – but it is doable, and many have.

At Granite Mountain Behavioral Healthcare, we offer help that is personalized for a patient’s needs and case, with many options available. If you or someone you love seem like they need to break the cycle, and like drug abuse has taken over, we are the starting point you need to cross in your journey to recovery.

Feel free to contact us by getting all the information you may need on our website in order to learn at your pace, your earliest convenience, and the way that is best for your needs. Get ready not just to let go of the life you have, but to start empowered and anew.

References:

• https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs6/6384/6384p.pdf
• https://ktar.com/story/2620207/arizona-lobbyist-explains-efforts-to-regulate-doctors-in-opioid-epidemic/
• https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/prevention/womens-childrens-health/injury-prevention/opioid-prevention/adhs-az-opioid-presentation.pdf
• https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive

By now I’m sure many if not all of you reading this are familiar with the terms “patient broker” or, “client broker”.  If you are not what the terms refer to is an individual who for a fee, paid by a treatment facility, will make a referral to that facility.  The way that this often works is that the broker “identifies” an addict in need of help, and then the broker starts calling treatment centers and negotiating a fee for placement.  These fees can be in excess of $5000 dollars per client. Thus referrals are made not based on clinical need, therapeutic fit, or really in any way meaningfully tied to the interests of the patient.  Rather these placement decisions are being made on the financial incentive for the facility and the broker. I want to spend a few minutes today sharing with you my thoughts on this problem and perhaps begin to describe a better way forward for our industry and our patients.

The Hydra of Our Industry

Sly And Cunning

Patient brokers come in many different forms.  Many are individuals with no professional background in addiction treatment at all.  These individuals quite literally will troll 12 step meetings, local detoxes, and in some instances even the local skid row,  trying to identify individuals who are suffering from addiction and desperate for help. When they find somebody they approach them under the guise of being able to help them find treatment. Many represent themselves as working directly for treatment centers when in fact they do not.  They will assure the individual addict that they can get them help, that they can get them to a safe place, that they can help them get sober. When the addict, desperate for a new life, agrees to seek treatment, the brokers work begins. The broker will begin calling treatment centers.  Leading not with questions about the therapeutic validity of the facility’s work but with the insurance information. The most valuable are those with PPO insurance with out-of-network benefits. the line between this sort of activity end human trafficking seems murky to me.

Not all patient brokers are this blatant, or have quite this level of amorality.  Many come in the form of professionals. Some are Therapeutic Placement Consultants, some are Interventionists.  Brokers of this stripe will charge a family anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars with the promise, again, of being able to help an addict to recovery.  After collecting money from the family and doing their work they turn around and “sell” the human being to the highest bidder. Often times in this sort of arrangement it is not on a per head basis.  Rather payment comes in the form of large year end “bonuses”. I know of one program that pays their “best” therapeutic placement consultant $50,000 at the end of the year. I try not to be a cynical person, but it is hard for me to see how a many thousand dollar payment would not influence placement decisions.   Many times these financial arrangements are not disclosed to the families of the addict. By not disclosing this information the family is not in a position to make a free and informed decision. I want to be clear that in no way am I alleging that all placement consultants or all interventionists operate in this way.  There are many highly competent, highly trained, and highly ethical individuals in both of these positions across the country. I have had the pleasure of knowing, and working with many.

The Buy-Side

Bad Actors Ruin It All

The bad actors in the industry give anyone trying to do a professional job with high standards of conduct a bad name.  It would be very easy to just cast blame at the brokers and say that they are the problem. This, in my view, is not true.  They are without hesitation a part of the problem, but only a part. Another part of the problem are the facilities who work with these individuals.  In any transaction the “buy” side has as much culpability as the “sell” side. If collectively treatment centers refused to buy patients the brokers would have no one to sell to, and the problem would go away.  The persistent nature of this issue appears to be a reflection of an inadequate understanding on the part of treatment facilities of how to engage patients and their families in a meaningful way, how to create meaningful relationships with clinicians and other providers who are already engaged with the population of addicts.  In some ways it is a failure of innovation on the part of treatment facilities. As long as facilities continue to be willing to buy their patients there will be individuals willing to sell them patients.

Root Cause

I believe that the problem runs even deeper than these two aspects.  The true nature of the problem is associated with the stigma we as a community still have in regards to those suffering from addiction.  Many in our communities, in the face of the science attached, still want to believe that if an addict wanted to change enough they would.  As a consequence of this belief they view (often unconsciously) addiction as a moral failure, or a failure in character. As a result our communities are less concerned with how addicts are treated when compared to the care and concern we express toward other sufferers of chronic disease.  Can you imagine an oncology hospital “buying” cancer patients, or a memory specialist “buying” patients suffering from Alzheimer’s without public outrage? I have a hard time imagining such a situation. What then is the difference? All are chronic diseases, which cause massive destruction to the lives of the suffer and those tied to them by affection.  The difference, as stated above, is in the way society views these diseases. If we want to change the outcomes for those suffering from addiction we need to change the way, we as a society, view addiction. We need to end the stigma.

 

Moving Toward A Solution

How do we move toward a solution?  The most immediate answer I see to this dilemma is to raise the bar of entry into the industry for professionals.  In any domain, a low bar of entry allows bad actors in. We need to adopt a standard of professionalism across the industry.  We need increased oversight and licensing requirements for those working in the field. By doing this we will make it harder for those with bad intentions to get in, we will be able to identify and stop them sooner, and will make it more transparent who can be relied on.  This will only happen when our industry demands it of ourselves. If we do this it will give us time to change the stigma attached to addiction. It will restore the public’s faith in us as a means of recovery for those suffering from addiction.

In the next part of this series we will be examining the proposed state bill in Arizona that is currently under consideration, and whether or not it will adequately address the problem.  In subsequent segments we will present interviews from each side of this issue. I believe that it is only in honestly facing a problem that we can begin to heal from it. We can and must do more.

 

Until next time
Your friend in service,
Rob Campbell
VP of Communications & Market Development

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If you or your loved one is in need of help for substance use disorder please call us today @ 1.844.878.3221

Trends In The Industry

I wanted to take a few minutes today and write to you about a trend that I have noticed during my short time working in the treatment industry. In my role with Granite Mountain I have the pleasure of speaking both to many of my peers at other treatment centers, as well as being the contact person for our organization for many of those seeking treatment and their families. On a more or less weekly basis I find myself engaged in a conversation with clients and their families that goes something like this:

The client asks:  “Tell me about your facility?”

When asked to describe Granite Mountain and Recover Strong I begin by explaining our culture of community and inclusion. Highlighting that we are driven not by a compliance mindset, rather one of creating an environment that is prone to creating transformation in our clients and staff. I give several real life examples (obviously, withholding personal details of those involved) that show our commitment to this method of community building. Then, I provide a detailed account of the neuroscience (at least as detailed as my understanding will allow) that is the foundation of our therapeutic program. Afterward I proceed to highlight how our Recover Strong program makes use of this research and endeavors to expand on it.  

Quality Of Care Trumps All

After this explanation, most if not all of the potential clients and their families will ask one or more questions that pertain to their own particular set of circumstances. Less than half the time I am asked by clients about amenities. For example, what do the rooms look like, what are the weekend activities? The rooms are simple but nice, and weekend trips are varied and fun by all accounts, for what it’s worth. There is nothing wrong with these questions and I am happy to answer them if they are important to any individual. I think though that after you’ve read how the conversation goes with others in the industry you may begin to understand my challenge.  

In contrast to the above, when I am asked the same question and give the same answer to many of my peers in the industry their response is significantly different.  After my explanation, my peers rattle off a veritable laundry list of amenities that their program offers.   The subtext of this conversation is that their facility provides a higher level of care due to the fact that they have more jacuzzis and massage therapists than we do.  When I ask about their therapeutic program and the philosophical underpinnings that guide their decisions around client experience many have little to say.  

To this I need to ask: When did we allow quality of amenity to become synonymous with quality of care in our industry?  And further, are we happy with this?

Like anybody I like to be comfortable.  I’m fairly certain I have never met anybody who doesn’t.  I feel equally certain that the measure of the quality of a program that we ought to be using is how many lives we are able to transform, not how big the TV’s are in our rooms.  Can you imagine this passing muster in another health care field?  Can you imagine choosing a cardiologist not on the basis of their patient outcome data, or their level of experience and expertise, but rather how nicely appointed their waiting room is.  Seems far fetched at best to me.  

One of the major contributing factors that has led us to this point is the absence of a widely agreed upon objective measure of success in our industry. Among the major stakeholder groups in the industry (behavioral health centers, insurance companies, clients and their families, other helping professionals, and our community members at large) there is no agreed upon definition of a successful outcome let alone a method of measurement.  A topic for a future article is this: we at Granite Mountain are currently working with a research team from consulting firm Serve 1 to develop such a definition and method that can be used throughout the industry.  In the absence of such a measure and in an effort to describe quality in an inherently difficult space we as an industry have, in my view, shirked our responsibility and allowed ourselves an easy way out.  It is comparatively simple to list how many and what type of amenities we have.  So we have taken the easy road.

I will ask again, are we happy with this?

I don’t in this article offer a necessary solution.  Merely I am seeking to name and define a problem.  It is my hope by opening these sorts of conversations we can improve our industry, the overall quality of care our clients receive, and by extension help to transform more lives.  As a final thought, I have learned in my own journey of recovery that it is only by naming a problem and squarely and honestly confronting it that I can begin to grow.  Perhaps it will be the same with this question.

Until next time.

Your friend in service,
Rob Campbell
VP of Communications & Market Development

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If you would like to speak to a professional about treatment for you or your loved one, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!

A New Year, A New Center

Fourteen months ago today marked a new epoch in the history of Granite Mountain Behavioral Healthcare.  At the time we were very near the bottom.  As an organization we had lost our way. This was true financially, clinically, and most importantly spiritually/morally.  We had begun Granite Mountain with the pure intention of wanting to help those suffering from a disease, we understood only too well from personal experience, to a solution and a life of freedom.  Over several years this intention had been subverted through a combination of personal shortcomings and the environment pervasive in the treatment industry at the time.   It was at this point that the founding partners threw their hands up in desperation and looked outside the organization for a solution.

In December of 2016 the beginnings of that solution was found in the hiring of our CEO Jason Turner.  Jason came to the organization with a list of demands.  Not demands for himself, rather a list of principles that would become the guiding force of Granite Mountain BHC.  Principles like community, connection, commitment, and transformation became the bedrock and guiding lights of Granite Mountain.  We would, going forward, strictly adhere to the guiding principle of “doing the right thing for the right reason”.  This simple idea would guide all future decisions both big and small.  

Jason first re-imagined the therapeutic experience, with the introduction of the Recover Strong program. A one of a kind strengths based approach to the treatment of behavioral health disorders including substance use disorder.   As a team we then transformed the entirety of the client experience and re-conceived the basic nature of client staff interactions.  Discarding the basic assumptions of this relationship pervasive in the behavioral health field one of behavior modification and compliance.  Instead we focus on accountability with kindness and confrontation with curiosity.  This has revolutionized the day to day experiences of both clients and staff.

In the fall of 2017, with the therapeutic model on a firm footing and clients experiencing wholesale transformation in their lives the team knew they needed to transform the business operations and market development sides of the organization.  That is when Jason and I first began speaking and how I became involved with Granite Mountain.  (the full story of these organizational transformations is a story that needs to be told.  It’s telling however, is beyond the scope of this article.  Be on the lookout for our soon to be released video series on YouTube that chronicles this story and the full scope of our organizational transformation.)

Bringing Everything Together

These are all still works in progress.  We are not where we want to be yet, but we are far closer than we were.  We have many setbacks as we chart a new course for our organization and hopefully the industry as a whole.  We also enjoy many sparkling successes.  It is one of these successes that has motivated me to write this article for you today.  When I first came on board we were operating out of an old business plaza.  It had what we needed at the time, but was not a location from which we could really grow into ourselves.  Our clinical team was separated by geography from our Recover Strong program, both were separated from our housing.  In short it was not ideal.  We have recently relocated to Prescott Valley, and as you will see from the images attached to this article, have found our home.  

Our Recover Strong program is now at the literal as well as existential heart of Granite Mountain. Clients come to the center in the morning and can receive all their programing in one location. Our staff and clients can meet each day in one location and our open door policy is ever evident  as clients and staff  connect as fellow community members building bonds and friendships that can last a lifetime.  Our new building looks as if it was purpose built for us, though it was not.  For us, it is proof positive that doing the right thing for the right reason has its benefits.  

We will soon be having a grand opening and hope all will attend (if you are interested in attending please message us) and share our joy and excitement as we begin a new chapter for Granite Mountain.  Become a part of our community, and witness the transformation of our individual clients, staff, and our organization.  It is going to be one heck of a ride!

I leave you with this thought, that was given to me by one of my mentors, “the best is yet to come”.  This is true for us and for you.  Until next time my friends.

 

Your friend in service,
Rob Campbell
VP of Communications & Market Development

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If you would like to speak to a professional about treatment for you or your loved one, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!