This story ispart of a serieswhere we look at the ways COVID-19 has changed our lives and how it will continue to affect public health in 2022.
Key TakeawaysDuring the pandemic, substance abuse has risen in the U.S.While the government has contributed funds for opioid overdose prevention, experts say there needs to be an investment in addressing the root causes of addiction.Experts say some positive trends, like increased access to Narcan, are likely here to stay.
Key Takeaways
During the pandemic, substance abuse has risen in the U.S.While the government has contributed funds for opioid overdose prevention, experts say there needs to be an investment in addressing the root causes of addiction.Experts say some positive trends, like increased access to Narcan, are likely here to stay.
Throughout the course of the pandemic, substance abuse in the United States has been on the rise.
Overdoses have specifically hit harm reduction and substance use clinics hard. Like many health centers, Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit organization serving more than 45,000 people in poverty living in Los Angeles, had to adapt its services in order to keep COVID-19 from spreading.
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Gilmore Chung, MD, director of addiction services at Venice Family Clinic, moved support group meetings for people with opioid use disorders online. However, physical isolation became an issue.
“It’s not good for anyone but that is especially true of people with a substance use disorder. They are always told to go get help, usually at a 12-step meeting,” Chung told Verywell. “The more separation between people, the less chance of healing through support groups.”
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“We don’t have much space for people to hang out but we still have outreach workers that go out every day of the week, visiting encampments, assisting people on the street, checking in on them, seeing how they’re doing, delivering supplies, exchanging needles,” Chung said.
Verywell asked these experts to weigh in on whether some of these changes to care that emerged during the pandemic will last.
Narcan Access Increased
The medication can return restore a person’s breathing to a normal state within two to three minutes. Narcan is administered as a nasal spray and is safe and effective to use.
Due to the rising rate of overdoses, Chung predicts there will be increased and continued use of Narcan in the new year. For example, agencies in Wisconsin, including local public health departments, tribal health clinics, and syringe access programs participating in the Narcan Direct Program increased from 72 to 100 from 2020 to 2021.
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“In terms of our efforts to prevent overdoses, we provide Narcan at no charge to anyone who needs it,” Chung said. “Venice Family Clinic also has nine street medicine teams that go out every week to reach out to people on the street.”
Chung said that the clinic will continue to provide Narcan and respectful care.
“To be able to prevent an overdose or to be able to treat somebody, that’s great," Chung said. “Thing is, you [have to make] sure that everybody knows that the door is always open to them.”
What This Means For You
What Experts Hope to See More Of
To prevent overdoses, SAMHSA administered grants to states and territories based on the highest overdose rates and treatment needs from fiscal years 2018 through 2021.
In 2021, SAMHSA awarded $123 million to connect people with substance use disorders to culturally appropriate and evidence-based treatment and support.
These funds aim to:
However, while funds can propel overdose prevention efforts forward and are expected to continue in 2022, funding alone is insufficient, according to Chung and Parker.
“All of this stuff costs money so there needs to be a reallocation,” Parker said.
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Parker hopes to see a redirected investment in medication awareness and practitioner referrals. “There’s a lot of people that will go to the doctor that maybe don’t know where to go for therapy, so increasing public awareness of therapy through their primary care physician [is important],” he explained.
Coupled with increasing access to life-saving medications and treatments, Chung hopes to see a greater emphasis on addressing the root causes of addiction, such as poverty and housing, to prevent people from relapsing and reverting back to substances to cope with stressors.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts.Patel I, Walter LA, Li L.Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities.Harm Reduct J. 2021;18(1):89. Published 2021 Aug 16. doi:10.1186/s12954-021-00534-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Lifesaving Naloxone.Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration.2021 Report to Congress on the State Opioid Response Grants (SOR).National Health Care for the Homeless Council.Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: How the Opioid Crsis Affects Homeless Populations.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts.Patel I, Walter LA, Li L.Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities.Harm Reduct J. 2021;18(1):89. Published 2021 Aug 16. doi:10.1186/s12954-021-00534-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Lifesaving Naloxone.Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration.2021 Report to Congress on the State Opioid Response Grants (SOR).National Health Care for the Homeless Council.Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: How the Opioid Crsis Affects Homeless Populations.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts.Patel I, Walter LA, Li L.Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities.Harm Reduct J. 2021;18(1):89. Published 2021 Aug 16. doi:10.1186/s12954-021-00534-zCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Lifesaving Naloxone.Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration.2021 Report to Congress on the State Opioid Response Grants (SOR).National Health Care for the Homeless Council.Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: How the Opioid Crsis Affects Homeless Populations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts.
Patel I, Walter LA, Li L.Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities.Harm Reduct J. 2021;18(1):89. Published 2021 Aug 16. doi:10.1186/s12954-021-00534-z
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Lifesaving Naloxone.
Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration.2021 Report to Congress on the State Opioid Response Grants (SOR).
National Health Care for the Homeless Council.Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: How the Opioid Crsis Affects Homeless Populations.
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