Cartwright

The fentanyl crisis is showing few signs of letting up, exacting a devastating toll on our community and beyond. But it’s not hopeless. We have effective treatments for opiate addiction with the potential to save lives.

One of those treatments — rapid access to medications for opioid use disorder, or “MOUD” — faces an all-too-familiar foe to addiction treatment: stigmatization.

Well-meaning health care providers, community members, and even segments of the recovery community harbor misconceptions about MOUD. Some view it as merely substituting one addiction for another, while others fear it perpetuates dependency.

MOUD has proven to be a powerful tool in combating opioid addiction by combining medications like buprenorphine or methadone with counseling and behavioral therapies. MOUD saves lives. Yet, I’ve had patients physically hide as they spoke to our clinic so their families wouldn’t find out who was on the phone. We’ve seen family members threaten and sponsors offer ultimatums to compel patients off medications. While these pressures may be well-intentioned, they are misinformed and can lead to tragic outcomes.

We’ve seen this before. From the beginning of addiction treatment, successful therapies have had to overcome societal pressures — stigmas based on misbegotten perceptions that prevent addicts from seeking help altogether or from effective treatments.

Fentanyl’s deadliness elevates the stakes, though, making it an ethical imperative to move forward with a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to effective treatments. The time has come for policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities to prioritize and expedite access to MOUD as a cornerstone of our response to the crisis.

In Central Oregon, we are fortunate to have myriad options, including BestCare Treatment Services’ Addiction Medicine Clinic, Ideal Option, and Oregon Recovery & Treatment Centers’ Bend Treatment Center, as well as primary care providers such as Mosaic Medical. However, stigmatizing ideologies remain a formidable barrier.

We need to dispel these myths and confront reality: MOUD is a life-saving intervention.

By reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, MOUD helps individuals stabilize their lives, regain control, and ultimately break the cycle of addiction. Numerous studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing opioid use, overdose deaths, and criminal behavior.

It’s not a matter of substituting one addiction for another but rather providing a lifeline to those battling the deadly grip of fentanyl.

Health care providers need to play a pivotal role in overcoming this stigma and promoting access to MOUD. These providers need comprehensive education and training on the benefits of MOUD, ensuring they can provide accurate information and compassionate care to patients seeking treatment. Furthermore, policymakers need to allocate resources that expand education on the role stigmas play in creating a barrier to effective treatment.

As health care providers, we must understand that detox and residential treatment are forms of medical stabilization. Access to comprehensive outpatient services with a combination of behavioral therapies and evidence-based medications is the cornerstone of disease management when treating opiate use disorder.

Community engagement is also critical.

We need to foster open dialogue, education, and awareness campaigns to challenge misconceptions and highlight the evidence-based effectiveness of MOUD. This includes engaging the recovery community to encourage a more inclusive approach to recovery. An approach that recognizes the value of MOUD as the most effective pathway we currently have to sobriety.

We must also foster an understanding of the brain disease that is opiate addiction and the significant harm that occurs by holding discriminating opinions that ignore facts.

The fentanyl crisis is not abating. It is escalating and claiming more lives every day. So we as a community cannot afford to let stigma and misinformation stand in the way of saving lives.

Rapid access to MOUD is not just a matter of convenience, it is a matter of life and death.

Now is the time for our communities to come together, confront stigma head-on, and ensure that every individual battling opioid addiction has access to the treatment they need to survive and thrive.

Delay is not an option, and action is imperative.