The opioid epidemic ravaging communities across the country has hit Pierce County, according to a report commissioned by Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. The department's Treatment Services program offers people in recovery a medically based approach to deal with their addiction. Use of opioids (heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycodone) can lead to negative consequences GÇô such as overdoses, medical and mental health impacts, and crime GÇô that put a social and financial burden on a community. "People from all walks of life experience a transformation while in our program,GÇ¥ said Christina Abby, manager of the Treatment Services program. "They learn to manage their addiction and become productive professionals, students, and parents." Researchers at the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI) produced the report that the Health Department released June 11 in preliminary form. Highlights of findings for Pierce County show increases in: -+ Death Rate GÇô 704 people died from opioid overdoses between 2005-2014 (52 deaths in 2005, 68 in 2014). -+ First-Time Admissions for Treatment GÇô 3,424 people sought treatment for opioid addiction between 2002-2015 (129 in 2002, 438 in 2015). -+ Police Evidence Testing Positive for OpioidsGÇô 1,042 cases between 2002-2015 (63 in 2002, 91 in 2015). Trends for Pierce County are similar to those in King County and across the state. "A majority of heroin users surveyed in Pierce County in 2015 said they were initially hooked on opioid medications then turned to heroin, a cheaper more readily available method to achieve a high similar to opioid medications,GÇ¥ said Caleb Banta-Green, senior research scientist at ADAI. "With this report, we want to give the public a clear picture of the epidemic in Pierce County so everyone can work together to save lives." According to Banta-Green, medical research supports medically based treatment programs, such as the one at the Health Department that uses methadone to help support recovery. Officials said the preliminary report can be read at tpchd.org/OpioidTrends. A full report is expected later this summer. Parents who keep prescription opioid medications in their medicine cabinets offer children easy access to the dangerous and potentially deadly drugs. Banta-Green encourages adults with opioid medications: -+ Talk to their health care provider about whether they need opioid medications; if so, for how long. -+ Store opioid medications at home in secure locations. -+ Remove opioid medications from the home as soon as they no longer need them.
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