That stark observation was one of several shared with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin during a roundtable discussion on the state’s opioid epidemic Wednesday. The event, held at Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC), gave local medical officials, law enforcement officers and business people the chance to voice their thoughts and concerns on the area’s growing heroin problem.
“The crisis is a reality,” said Peggy Naleppa PRMC’s president and CEO. “It touches all of us directly or indirectly. It’s not going away.”
According to Naleppa, PRMC, the eighth largest hospital in Maryland, treated 82 heroin overdoses in 2014. That number increased to 100 in 2015. By May of this year, doctors had already treated 171 patients for heroin overdoses.
“We can effect change,” she said. “That’s why we’re here.”
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Naleppa's statement of how many cases were treated in the hospital does not take into account how many were treated by EMS personnel onsite with Narcan and the patients refusing transportation to the ER. These number in the hundreds in Salisbury alone, every year.
ReplyDeleteEverything mentioned in this piece is the same ole thing. Each time a "meeting" is called we hear, the counselors don't get paid as much as a social worker. The hospital needs to fill positions. It's a money meeting because Annapolis is on the scene. When did this war on drugs start?, sixties. The good sheriff needs resources, what ever happen to "rock their world". Oglesby seems to be the only one on the right page.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the problem is caused by the medical profession who prescribe opiates as pain meds. The patients get addicted than can no longer get them. What happened to Darvon ,Percodan etc. They were not addictive and worked well.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that Senator Cardin even knew where Salisbury was or how to get here! I mean, has he EVER been to Salisbury before?
ReplyDeleteso my question is if you chose to go down this road why then do taxpayers have to pay for all this extra BS? let em enjoy their choices and stop wasting our time and money!
ReplyDelete3:32. I wonder if you feel the same about overweight people who develop diabetes or people who get cancer from risky choices.
ReplyDeletetheir choice, I should not have to pay for your lifestyle choices. You dont pay for mine!
ReplyDelete