The City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are one step closer to developing a strategic plan for nearly $150 million in funds meant to fight the opioid epidemic.
On Saturday, at the last in a series of meetings seeking public input, more than 180 people packed into the International District Library to give their input.
Even though the A/C was lacking, and the conference room was standing room only, the crowd was lively, engaged and passionate.
One community member, who identified only as Chuck said “I'm overwhelmed at the love, the community, the expertise, the experiences here that just blows my mind. I came in here with an angry agenda, so thank you all for that.”
The audience included community leaders and lawmakers, everyday people, folks who lost loved ones, or some who faced down the terrors of opioid addiction themselves, and they made their case for what programs and changes need to be put in place to fight the opioid epidemic.
From the outset, several attendees said more services are needed, more up-to-date information about those services, and specifically:
“We need more detox centers, of course,” said Anthony Rael, who works for State of the Heart Recovery.
Janyah Johnson agreed.
“I think that one of the very most pressing issues is immediate detox centers,” she said. “This is going to save lives.”
Janus Herrera, a health promotion specialist with the Health Equity Council, said the community needs “more treatment center beds, all types, in- and out-patient detox, rehab, aftercare, 30/60/90 day programs.”
Bernalillo County’s CARE Campus is currently the state’s only free detox. Because demand is so high, the campus has to turn people away when their beds are full, or they don’t have enough workers on staff to bring in more clients.
Several speakers brought up what’s known as the “golden hour,” which is the period when someone who’s using wants to get sober. Nicole Cajori, a community member who said she was personally affected by the opioid crisis, said that might only last a moment, so services need to be streamlined to make entry as easy as possible. She suggested a central system that shares information between providers.
“One time they might show up, and that moment is lost because that person who is suffering from addiction shows up at a different facility with no ID and no cell phone and with no mind frame to fill out paperwork,” Cajori said. “And then they have to tell their story again.”
Several others added that there should also be a central system to show currently available openings in programs around the state, and that there should be transportation services available for those seeking care so they can get into a program when they are still motivated to do so.
Anthony Rael said a more robust network of aftercare assistance also needs to be put into place.
“If once they get out of detox, they don't have any long term plan to connect with community, to connect with loved ones, to connect with resources, to connect with job opportunity, to get rid of the stigma of addiction that's been placed upon them, to remove the barriers to entry to employment,” Rael said. “These things need to be addressed immediately, because without addressing these issues, the recidivism rate is going to continue to skyrocket.”
Attendees also called for a complete continuum of care. Janus Herrera listed dozens of gaps, barriers to recovery and other issues she sees in the current system. She said people need to be treated with respect and human dignity, and she pushed for more harm reduction services, including a supervised consumption site.
“Where individuals can use opioids under medical supervision. This is critical to reduce harms associated with opioid use, prevent deaths and provide an entry for treatment and medical care,” she said.
People were also passionate about how they said the money should not be used. Attorney Terry Storch, for example, said none of the money should go to the police.
“I have been a state and a federal public defender, and I want to say that not a cent of this money should go to law enforcement,” Storch said.
Jeffery Holland, with the Endorphin Power Company, a recovery organization, said providers should be inspected before receiving any funds to make sure the money isn’t going to companies just out to make a profit.
“It's a lot of money, but it's not really a lot of money, you know what I mean?” Holland said. “So there has to be a way to make sure that it goes to people that are operating ethically, above board, have a history of providing services without, you know, fraud or scamming or hurting the people we're trying to help.
The City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County co-hosted the event. The two governments have teamed up to pool their shares of opioid settlement funds, which come from legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors that shield them from lawsuits, but force them to pay billions of dollars to state and local governments around the country.
Combined they’ll be receiving nearly $150 million in total, and chose to develop a strategic plan for the money before spending it. Saturday’s meeting was the last in a series of town-hall style meetings seeking public input for that plan.
Although the public meetings are finished, a survey will still be open online until August 9 for anyone who wants to give input.
Sindy Bolaños-Sacoman is a consultant working with the city and county governments to collect public input on how to spend opioid settlement funds, and she ran the meetings. She encouraged people to get active in their community, to attend City Council and County Commission meetings and stay in touch with local politicians.
Bolaños-Sacoman is helping craft the final report on what the strategic plan should look like, which will be finalized and presented to city and county officials in October.
This coverage is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
