Want to be in by quoting the two of my fellow, people recover every day. They get well and go on to do incredible things. The power possibility of people in recovery is immense. Power of possibility is what has fueled our nations ingenuity and growth and our belief in the power of possibility is fundamental to our success including our countrys success in addressing major health issues. We have come together to conquer challenges posed by Health Conditions and is succeeded in their efforts by science based policy to reduce the incidence of the hype lifethreatening health. As data continues to identify the biological environment all factor underlying Substance Abuse disorders and develops treatment we already have sufficient data in hand to shape our response to our current crises. We know addiction is caused by commendation of properties of the drug, overdose induration and individual factors related to genetics and environmental risks. For many people physical and Emotional Trauma can can contribute to this progression. We know scientific medication is also necessary to a Treatment Program and sustainable recovery and behavioral intervention including things like behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, incentive and coaching can improve outcomes. We know medication can reverse overdoses and save lives and we are learning that programs like anchor more and safe Station Program in maryland is helping to helping us to reach out to engage people and carry early on before the overdose. There is been a vital role in the treatment of sustaining recovery for millions of americans leading productive lives. Programs are communitybased and focused on comprehensive disorder screening and early intervention, expanded access to Recovery Services for all people and improving the quality of care. In collaboration with Mental Health services and Substance Abuse prevention it addresses Current Conditions including Mental Illness, hiv and hepatitis. We focus on underserved populations. In 2016 karros legislation coupled with strong leadership has provided additional tools to combat the opioid use disorder crisis. Key programs by this legislation include rapid growth and Health Care Providers that treat opioid group use. Population targeted efforts like 2017 expansion of programs for pregnant women and robust grants enabling states and territories to respond to the crisis with a data driven targeted response using proven strategies to address geographic areas of population with the greatest need. Performance Outcome Measures indicate programs are improving health, Public Safety and Health Health outcome. They are reducing criminal justice involvement. We remain aware of how much we have yet to accomplish. With this in mind this past year we have investigated a framework to benchmark and improve our strategic data driven program that has been used successfully and we are working in collaboration with public and private partners to advance our broadbased efforts to reduce disorders across country. Our Data Analysis in this area conducted in conjunction with ibm has reinforced our understanding that the key focus of our public and private efforts must be early and comprehensive screening for Substance Abuse disorders and engagement and retention for those identified with sepsis abuse disorders. To bp on going involving Substance Abuse Health Challenges csap in close collaboration with our partners will continue to focus on screening, treatment engagement supporting sustained recovery. Now you have had a moment to catch her breath. Its my privilege to introduce mr. Talbot who is based opioid abuse disorder while he was at graduate school and he is paying for the support and assistance he has received. He has open to opioid Treatment Programs. He serves as Program Sponsor for both programs. He also currently serves on the credentialing committee and board of directors of the alcohol and drug abuse Certification Board of georgia and board of directors. Mr. Talbot, your Proof Positive people recovery and go on to do credible things. Thank you for your courage and commitment in helping our nation turn the tide on Substance Abuse disorders and for your efforts to support individuals, families and communities as they work to prevent these chronic Health Conditions. [applause]. Hello. My name is exact talbots and i currently reside in chatsworth, georgia, where i serve as program director. I was born in next oh tennessee, tennessee and grew up in the marable, tennessee which is a small southern town about 30 minutes south of knoxville. I came from a uppermiddleclass churchgoing family. We prioritized family, faith and education. I went on to graduate with my bachelors degree from the university of tennessee before enrolling in the masters of social work program for Knoxville College of social work. As a graduate student in the social work program i was prescribed Opioid Pain Medication for some minor knee and back pain. It was as if i never lived before. Something almost immediately changed in me and dependents turned addiction to opioid began to his golf my life. Not long before i was academically dismissed i was a regular daily iv heroin user. I can recall going into the bathroom in graduate School Shooting up between classes to ward off withdrawals. For a long time prior to my academic dismissal that led to a downward spiral i was a high functioning addict. I wasnt one of them. I came from a good family, from good southern stock we would say. Talbots werent attics. We were people of faith, Community Leaders and role models. Im here to tell you today that opioid addiction doesnt discriminate and knows no boundaries by class or race, gender or sexual orientation, by religion or level of education. Not even a half decade into the new millennium i was living in a look at began with a dilution of a pill induced heaven. I drove day in and day out just to stay well, just to avoid withdrawal, any type of pipe was a thing of the past. Delusion that last only for the first romantic part of this lethal disease. Someone addicted to opioid, there is hope being a graduate student never truly left me, so when i was sick and tired of being sick and tired i began to research what would give me the best chance of success. And went to credible sources, something i remember being beaten into me during my time in college to see what i should do if and when i was ready. I kept coming back over and over to this thing called medication assisted treatment, but like so me other people at the time i was hesitant thinking i would just be trading a witch for the devil or potentially ending up in a worse in dick addiction, but i was desperate so i called opioid Treatment Program close to me only to find the had long wait lists and could not get me in, so in a moment of desperation i drove two hours in one direction and enrolled in a Treatment Program in northwestern georgia. It was the best decision i ever made i found i was not only stabilized with medication that allowed me to live a normal life again, allowed me to break those chains and cycle of living and was met with compassionate treatment of professionals and counseling was a more important priority than the medication i was receiving. The old zach came back and once again started dreaming again and reevaluating my life goals. I stopped living to avoid withdrawals. I was breaking the chains that have bound me. Today, you are looking at the true faith of medication assisted treatment having become medication assisted recovery. [applause]. I did not trade one addiction for another as i feared, but i traded dysfunction for stability and the misery for help. I got my life back and became involved in mate patient advocacy. The zach that was a graduate student in clinical social work was back and i have reenrolled in a program to get the degree my addiction rob me up years before an open to opioid Treatment Programs and continually assure regulatory compliance. Of studied and worked to achieve certification as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor. Im successful and living the recovery life. This recovery life and all the work i am out and now doing was made possible because of medication assisted treatment. Methadone combined with quality counseling saved my life. Since those early days and maintenance treatment i am someone who has been able to taper down my dosage while working on relapse prevention and coping skills and counseling, but i recognize that isnt possible for everyone to just like any other chronic disease such as diabetes or hypertension, different people need different amounts of medication for different times. Many in recovery may need longterm or indefinite medication and thats okay. What matters [applause]. What matters is someones life and quality of life, not whether or not they happen to take illegal medication or for how long they might need to take. During this crisis we have a moral obligation to support all options that offer help and hope be they abstinence based or medication come a inpatient or outpatient, shortterm or extended for months or years or even indefinitely we have to support all the medications at our disposal to combat this crisis. Methadone and naltrexone, all three medications have their place and we should not pick anyone against the other. We must support the use of walks own for overdose of people like me can stay alive long enough until we get the help, evidence based help we need. We have to train first responders, teachers cancers and family and friends of those at risk for opioid addiction how to minister and use my walks own. Some people need more than one dose and for some people it might take more than one overdose before they need treatment are ready for treatment. We have to be okay with that do whats necessary to keep people alive while supporting treatment proven by research and science if we are going to turn this Opioid Crisis around. Im living proofs there is hope after opioid addiction. You are looking at the true face of this epidemic, the true face of one of the lucky ones who happen to stumble into a Treatment Center that prior tourist sites and research over stigma and fear. Because of that, along with my own dedication to the hard work of recovery i am here to speak with you all today. My recovery means everything to me. Without mike recovery i likely would not have my life. So, i personally went to extend my heartfelt thanks to our leaders who are here today. And to President Trump for his convening of the Opioid Commission as they continue working to bring to the public site help and hope. It will take us all working together despite political affiliation or other backgrounds to turn this epidemic around. Thank you. [applause]. [applause]. Thank you so much, the zach. We are all fortunate for you to share your remarkable journey in recovery, for your efforts in getting back to your communities. Also, being a social worker. Before i open the floor to questions, want to ask that we thank all of our speakers one more time. Please join me in a round of applause. [applause]. We will move to questions and start with the credentialed press. If any of our media representatives have a question. If you have a question please indicate which of our panelists you want to pose the question. Seeing none from media i will open up the floor to see if others yes maam . I went to express my gratitude to everyone who have shared and one of the things that we have been concerned about is we are talking a lot about the Opioid Crisis and rightfully so. I am appreciative of mr. Baums comments, truly. I have not heard much about alcohol and what we are seeing is that there is a increase in use particularly among young people, so im just curious as to what the panel thinks in terms of alcohols role in this current epidemic. Kim, do you want to take that sure. I will start. Alcohol is our biggest drug of abuse if you look at how may people and if you look at deaths related to alcohol, if still although its getting close it is still higher than overdose deaths. We know that is a critical issue we know weve done a good job with adolescence, but what we see is young adults starting heavily, so thats a target we have to do with prevention. We know young adults, that age group are highest users for everything so we need to do a better job with prevention and treatment. Particularly on the outreach to that age group because a lot of times they dont think they have a problem. They are in a social environment where there uses the norm, so we have to address that. My name is joel powell and i him in longterm recovery. President and ceo of persons affected by addiction. My question this year like last year was has there been any progress with data on recovery, recovery data in the survey . Im glad you asked that. We just received [inaudible] ad recovery questions to our 2018 the survey. [applause]. We are looking forward to the data. Scenic my question is for acting director, im in longterm recovery. Thank you for your upbeat recognition of recovery during your remarks. One thing that needs to champion like you havent mentioned in finding and sustaining recovery, housing and employment are critical. Why is the interim report from the Opioid Commission fail to mention the importance of recovery in solving the crisis . We have to funded not just talk about the entire continuum including Recovery Support services. Thank you. Thank you for the question and your kind comments. Let me answer the question directly. This initial report that just came out a few weeks ago is only the very first piece of what the commission is working on. They are planning a comprehensive report, as i mentioned, probably at the end of october and im confident it will include a very Strong Language and recommendations for recovery. Lets me reiterate on behalf of zero and dcp. We are absolutely committed to understanding, addressing and removing obstacles to full recovery millions of americans trying to get their lives back and i is i said in my remarks people in recovery are doing what we want them to do, going through treatment. They are reclaiming their lives and so when people have taken these really difficult steps and it changed their lives, we have to make it easier for them, not harder for them and i understand for a lot of conversations about employment and challenges people face who may have had years of using drugs you have to get people are in Stable Recovery and these obstacles should be removed. We want these people act in the workplace, in the community and we are committed to understanding those obstacles and would ask for help to try to understand the obstacles, laws, regulations, state and federal that we can address because we are with you 100 . Person in longterm recovery and im from new york state. I would like to first of all say this has been powerful today. Everyone who spoke has been so so powerful. I think there is a story though, in the data which i appreciated so much. When we look at young people and the numbers of young people that are using marijuana. I saw a report that was excellent because they talked about things related. If we stream that together and look at what we have done around the cigarettes, i think, we really have to look at prevention and getting the message out. Just getting the message out of cases, how is connected to longterm outcomes. Look at cigarettes, look at whats happening with that in the number of people not smoking now i think there is a lot we can do like with that and if we turn this around we have to focus. Is wonderful for treatment and i love recovery, im in recovery, but we have to focus on putting ourselves out of business as we used to say. Thank you. [applause]. Im from rhode island and im a person in longterm recovery. My question is that people coming out of incarceration with Substance Abuse disorders and the lack of programs for reintegration is a problem in this country and i hope we deal with it in rhode island. Is there anything we can do as a Community Around the country to come together to try to provide services that are desperately needed, housing, how to balance a checkbook. I spent 20 years of my life incarcerated and when i came out i finally found recovery. I got lucky. I had a couple people who had support, but many people dont have that support and i go back into the prisons today and try to bring hope of recovery to these people. Im allowed in the same prison i spent over 20 years of my life in a neighboring hope to these people and try to show them ways the problem is when they leave the incarceration, there is nothing there for them. Theres nothing. Nothing but stigma with jobs and this is where we need to come together and again the other issue, im a manager of a program called anchor ed and i provide Recovery Support services in all of rhode island Emergency Rooms who comes in for opioid overdose, but the great number of people coming and we see are for alcohol use. Its incredible. Last week alone by recovery coaches responded to 111 calls in the emergency room. We are the smallest thing the country, but out of the hundred 11 calls i think it was 69 of them were alcohol responses. So, that really needs some attention as well. Can i respond . I am a commissioner for returning Citizen Affairs and one of the things my partner and i do is first of all we are aware that there is a disconnection. Between the department of Behavioral Health yearend in our organization the mayor and the commissioners that work with reentry, we are trying to bridge that gap for Behavioral Health and returning citizen because for me my judge did not realize i had that problem and new with the behavior was so we came up with a program and we go into the jails because we are trying to create something where we can talk about when they get diagnosed in jail its okay and how you need support when you come home because i have worked in the jail for a couple years in dc and they are diagnosed in there, but when they leave there is disconnection. We are trying to bring the pyramid to the program into the jail so when they come out they have a support network to help through their process and support that its okay to take medication today is medication kept me out of jail. Its a work in the process. Im going to stand because i cant see you otherwise. George and i have worked together. Im from rhode island as well in i was the medical director of the State Hospital in rhode island for a couple of years and heres what i saw. Not a single admission to the rhode island State Hospital for people with severe Mental Illness occurred except for people that had criminal charges , people that were coming to us from jails, sometimes even from prison. Competency evaluation and treatment. That is just wrong. That is just wrong. Having observed that one of the things that is going to be a priority will be to work to do exactly what youre talking about, george, to make those connections for people. What i would like to see his programs that help us divert people away from the Justice System and get the mccarran Recovery Services that they need [applause]. We at brach long is here to deliver a update on support to stay, local, Common Wealth and territory response efforts for hurricane irma. Administrator long and secretary price. Good morning
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