By Cameron Kerkau and Erik Hopkins, Collegiate staff
In response to the heroin epidemic currently plaguing Bay City, Delta College hosted a summit on the topic of heroin addiction.
The summit, which occurred between 6 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, was presented by the Bay County Prevention Network and Delta College Public Safety. The discussion was moderated by Sgt. Terry Spencer of the Pinconning Police Department, who began the proceedings by defining the summit as a way to educate the people of Bay City on the topic of heroin abuse.
Spencer then introduced Berry Schmidt, substance abuse prevention consultant and coordinator for the Bay County Prevention Network. According to a video shown by Schmidt, it is an addiction to legally prescribed pain medicine, such as Oxycodone or Hydrocodone, which leads many Americans to heroin abuse.
“This isn’t something that just crept up on us. It actually is something that’s been happening for a few years,” says Schmidt.
According to Schmidt, the United States is responsible for about seventy percent of the world’s Vicodin supply, and one hundred percent of the world’s OxyContin.
Schmidt also explained Bay City’s plan in addressing the heroin epidemic, which includes increasing community awareness, reducing the stigma surrounding heroin addiction and increasing treatment for heroin addicts.
Once Schmidt was finished with his presentation, Spencer introduced Dr. John H. Evans, an addiction medicine specialist from Saginaw. Evans explained that the three most common categories that his patients fit into are those with traumatic childhood experiences, people that began using it recreationally and people that began taking opiates for legitimate medical reasons.
“If you’re taking the medication exactly as you’re supposed to, you could become physically dependent,” says Evans.
According to Evans, heroin increases the dopamine levels in the brain, but causes the cells which produce dopamine to shrink. He goes on to explain that in medicine, anything that changes a target organ is a disease.
“Opiate dependence changes the brain, it’s a disease. The medical profession has recognized it as a disease for decades,” explains Evans.
Chief Robert Battinkoff of Delta College Public Safety offered a law enforcement perspective on the epidemic and explained how the presence of heroin and opiates have changed over the years, from being rare, to becoming a constant in the late 1990s.
Battinkoff explained that law enforcement used to refrain from arresting citizens if they survived their overdose, but went on to explain that he believed that to be a mistake.
“The one opportunity for some of those people to get into the recovery cycle is to arrest them, put them into the system, and start mandating that they do certain things. Sometimes that’s what it takes,” says Battinkoff.
Battinkoff also addressed the recent clusters of deaths involving heroin in Bay City. According to him, these clusters occur when a batch of heroin containing fentanyl enters the community.
“Fentanyl is another opioid that’s cheaper to make than heroin and it’s about a hundred times more powerful than heroin is,” explains Battinkoff.
According to Battinkoff, most regular heroin users know how to stay below the threshold of an overdose, but once fentanyl is mixed in, they can’t figure their doses out.
“In Genesee County we’d have fifteen people die in a weekend because a batch of heroin with fentanyl had come in,” says Battinkoff.
Probate Judge John Keuvelaar was the next to speak, making heavy note that treatment is what people with addiction need. As someone working in the Department of Health and Human Services, Keuvelaar pointed out how the home life of the children of addicts is damaging.
“It’s not just affecting the parents’ life, it’s taking a toll on the kids’ as well,” says Keuvelaar.
Spencer then introduced Karen Amon, the director of integrated health of Bay-Arenac Behavioral Health. Amon also stressed that it’s not just the user that is affected by the addiction.
“Getting your family member who abuses substances into treatment is very important but getting support for yourself is also important,” says Amon.
Kristy Kopec, PEER360 Alliance member and once user, gave a firsthand account of the effects that heroin can have on one’s life. Proud of her six years in sobriety, she told the story of her struggles with drug use.
“Being threatened to have my kids taken away from me was my bottom,” she recalled. “My daughter is nine now and I’ve begun to explain some of this to her. I want my daughter to understand that this is a life on drugs,” says Kopec.
Last to speak was Pastor Steve Peckham, who lost his son just last year due to a heroin overdose. Through tears, Peckham shared his story. “Heroin doesn’t have any emotion, and it only has one mission: to seek, kill, and destroy,” says Peckham.
Delta student Brooke Pries found the summit to be worthwhile. “Sitting down and listening to these people talk about their experiences was very educational. In high school, we never had anything like this. I think the last time I was taught about heroin was in seventh grade health class,” says Pries. “This is extremely needed in our schools.”
Dr. John Evans’ wife, Jackie Evans, also attended the summit as an audience member. As a doctor herself working in Midland, she understands why her husband has a passion for helping people. “People need a better understanding of what’s going on, and conversations need to start. People with addiction need counseling combatted with support,” says Dr. Jackie Evans.
For more information, visit bcpreventionnetwork.com.
