On Monday, over 1,150 people gathered at the Augusta Civic Center for the Governor's 1st annual “Turning the Tide Summit,” to combat opioid use in Maine. The full day conference had a broad agenda, featuring keynote speakers including Governor Janet Mills, Sam Quinones, author of the best-selling book Dreamland and Michael Botticelli, former director of National Drug Control Policy. The conference featured breakout sessions, with topics ranging from the best practices in caring for substance exposed infants to reducing stigma surrounding addiction. Each session began with the voice of an individual impacted by the epidemic, from persons in recovery to the families of individuals lost to overdose, grounding the conference in the lived reality. It concluded with a Response Panel, featuring Dr. Patrice Harris, President of the American Medical Association. The prevalence of hope while impressing the necessity of urgent action was a common thread throughout.

Governor Mills opened the conference, outlining her administration’s direction and focus on this issue. She emphasized the importance of having “all hands on deck,” with agencies collaborating to tackle the opioid crisis. No one organization or method can solve it alone, she said, and the time to act is now.

Sam Quinones followed, discussing the causes of the epidemic. He reported that the pain management "revolution" resulted from drug companies’ marketing of oxycontin as a virtually non-addictive pill to cure all pain. Instead of alternative, less dangerous pain management strategies, patients began to demand this quick fix, ultimately expanding the heroin market. Quinones views the breakdown of community over the past 35 years as a major contributing factor. “The single greatest antidote to heroin is community,” he writes. “Bring people out of their private rooms... [and] people may emerge from this plague more compassionate, more grounded than ever.” 

The afternoon plenary session featured Michael Botticelli, who, as a person in recovery himself, outlined solutions to this problem. He discussed the importance of reducing stigma by simple changes in the language we use, such as referring to someone having a “substance use disorder,” rather than as a “substance abuser.” He also emphasized the need for more medical school training surrounding addiction and increased insurance coverage for treatment. 

The conference ended with a panel of four experts discussing regional and national policies currently addressing opioid use. The AMA's Dr. Patrice Harris prompted attendees to “dig deep and ask why,” these issues exist. For example, why do individuals hoard pills? Is it because they can’t afford the $10 copay? She emphasized there is no single solution for this epidemic, no "one size fits all" answer, as each situation has intricacies and barriers to recovery we cannot discount. She discussed the fact that 9 out of 10 individuals who have substance use disorders cannot access treatment. She echoed Botticelli’s remarks about the importance of reducing stigma, and limiting the use of pejorative language when referencing affected individuals.

There is a full archive of the plenary sessions on the event website if you are interested in hearing more. The 2nd annual "Response to the Opioid Crisis" summit has already been scheduled and will be held in Bangor on July 23rd, 2020. 

You can read another article about the summit at: https://mainedoenews.net/2019/07/18/a-hopeful-path-forward-at-maines-opiate-crisis-summit/