Ottumwa Regional staff member awarded for their work toward minimalizing patient use of opioids
July 10, 2024
OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - Rachel Morton is Ottumwa Regional Health Center’s Surgical Services Clinic Manager. On Tuesday morning, July 9th, Morton was awarded the Billion Pill Pledge Champion award.
The Billion Pill Pledge is an initiative started by Goldfinch Health and adopted by Iowa’s Attorney General, Brenna Bird. Back in 2022, Goldfinch started this to get 1 billion opioid pills away from patients and out of our communities.
The National Library of Medicine reports that the problem Goldfinch is targeting, is over 80% of low-risk surgery patients are prescribed opioids. While 6-10% of those surgery patients become dependent on opioids and 86% of heroin users admit to being on an opioid prescription before trying heroin.
Morton’s role in lowering the number of opioids in our community is being the “glue” of Ottumwa Regional’s surgery department. She works with healthcare providers, surgeons, and surgery patients to ensure the best post-operation experience for each patient.
To do this, Morton advises surgeons to prescribe fewer opioid pills. They also hand out pain-treatment kits to post-operation patients that are put together by Goldfinch.
This kit includes things like cooling packs, probiotics for improved gut health, and more. Goldfinch also wants to get rid of the excess opioids that are no longer needed. So, in these kits are a deactivation device that neutralizes the pills effects so the pills can be safely thrown away.
The reason for all of this, Goldfinch Health’s COO, John Greenwood said, “The reality is the opioids kind of work by activating your award system and they’re not really addressing the underlying cause of that pain.”
Greenwood explained opioids can impact other aspects of your health. He said, “Things like slowing your G.I. (Gastro-Intestinal) system down and increasing infection rates” are some of the other negative effects.
In a presentation to members of Ottumwa Regional’s corporate staff, Greenwood said, “Stanford showed that 30% of Medicaid patients when they get a single prescription for opioid - become consistent opioid users. They’re using it for months afterwards.”
Greenwood said many events led to the mass-prescription of opioids but how his company is doing it now, “is really about treating pain the way we always should have.”
Studies have shown how opioid abuse has affected the nation. The American Medical Association says a fatal overdose occurs every six minutes in the U.S. and a study in 20-17 found 1 in 5 Americans know someone who has died due to opioid use.
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