Opinion: Costs of addiction treatment are draining families. That does not have to happen.
Recovery Within Reach was launched to educate Ohio’s financial advisers and connect people with affordable, accessible treatment options and information about the economic impact of opioid addiction.
Sheryl Maxfield is director of the Ohio Department of Commerce.
As Ohioans know all too well, addiction and substance use disorder are harming people’s health, threatening their lives, and tearing at the fabric of families.
We know that 1 in 13 Ohioans has a substance use disorder, based on data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and that our state has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the nation.
More:Opinion: Coronavirus and opioid crisis create 'perfect storm' in Columbus
We know, too, that the problem was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose deaths increased nearly 30% nationwide in 2020, as compared to the years leading up to the pandemic.
Opioid use disorder is a disease, not a character flaw. Diseases need treatment, but like many diseases, treatment for addiction can be expensive. Families supporting a person with substance use disorder spend an estimated $35,000 or more a year on treatment, according to a survey conducted this year by the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Our survey connected with financial advisers across Ohio to determine how and when they discussed addiction — particularly opioid addiction — with their clients. We found that most advisers don’t think their clients are affected by addiction.
Yet, we also know that most Ohioans have some connection to addiction, whether they themselves have a substance use disorder, or love someone who does.
That means there are a lot of Ohioans whose finances could be affected by addiction because they are not aware of the risk or the cost, and many financial advisers are not able to offer assistance because clients are afraid to discuss it due to the stigma associated with addiction.
More:How to submit guest opinion columns to the Columbus Dispatch
However, assistance is available. This is why the Ohio Department of Commerce recently launched its Recovery Within Reach campaign. Recovery Within Reach is an effort from the Department of Commerce’s Division of Securities designed to educate Ohio’s financial advisers and connect the general public with affordable, accessible treatment options and critical information about the economic impact of opioid addiction on families.
More:'These are illnesses': Ad campaign aims to reduce stigma around addiction, mental illness
We have developed a new online map that shows families where and how to find treatment near them. The site also includes resources to connect them with a licensed financial professional to address the cost of treatment.
We will also have public service announcements and training materials for financial advisers, community partners and the public. Our goal is to help facilitate conversations that might be difficult to begin but are ultimately necessary and important to protecting a family’s financial future while connecting people with substance use disorder treatment.
Evidence shows that people can recover from substance use disorder — according to the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health, about 50% are currently in stable remission, having successfully avoided using drugs for a year or longer. The same report indicates that treatment for substance use disorders is often more cost-effective than avoiding treatment.
Treatment works, and recovery is possible. I believe these two things: Cost should never stand in the way of treatment for any disease and family finances don’t have to be damaged by addiction.
More:Ohio State deaths a reminder that student drug use is common | Opinion
I’m excited about this new effort to help Ohioans keep their families and their finances healthy. Please visit the new campaign at RecoveryWithinReach.ohio.gov.
Columbus Conversation planned about opioid overdose crisis
WHAT: Dispatch presents Columbus Conversations: "What is the state of the opioid crisis in our community?"
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Where: The Fawcett Center on The Ohio State Campus Conference Theater, 2400 Olentangy River Road.
Who: Opinion and Community Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson will host the discussion, a partnership between the Dispatch, Central Ohio Hospital Council, Ohio State University and WOSU Public Media.
Panelists are
- Erika Clark Jones, CEO, ADAMH Franklin County
- Dr. Krisanna Deppen, program director, OhioHealth Grant Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Brian Pierson, vice president, Community Health and Well-being, Mount Carmel Health System
- Dr. Erin McKnight, medical director, Medication Assisted Treatment for Addiction Program, Nationwide Children's Hospital
- Matt Parrish, Captain, Columbus Division of Fire
- Dr. Emily Kauffman, emergency medicine physician, OSU Wexner Medical Center East
- Juliet Dorris-Williams, executive director, The P.E.E.R. Center
- Andrea Boxill, administrator, Alcohol and Drug Services, Columbus Public Health
Sheryl Maxfield is director of the Ohio Department of Commerce.