Doctors discuss drug overdose crises and resources on International Overdose Awareness Day

• Aniya Faulcon
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  Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
  
  Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
  
  Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
  
  Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.

 Ted S. Warren / AP Photo

In this Nov. 14, 2019 photo, Jon Combes holds his bottle of buprenorphine, a medicine that prevents withdrawal sickness in people trying to stop using opiates, as he prepares to take a dose in a clinic in Olympia, Wash. The clinic is working to spread a philosophy called "medication first," which scraps requirements for counseling, abstinence or even a commitment to recovery in the battle against addictions to heroin and other opioids.

Airdate: Tuesday, August 30, 2022

According to National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, more than four times as many people died from drug overdose than from homicide in the first month of 2021. There were over 96,000 drug overdose deaths that were reported from March 2020 to March of last year.

Opioids kill more than 136 Americans every day, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.

International Overdose Awareness Day is Wednesday and Dr. Bonnie Milas, Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine for the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Dr. Patti Anewalt, Director of Pathways Center for Grief & Loss joined us on Tuesday’s Smart Talk to spread awareness of the drug overdose epidemic and provide resources that for victims and families.

Milas said, the amount of drug overdose deaths that we have reached is a sad landmark for the United States. In order to take a step toward tackling this issue, she suggested that people educate themselves about the topic.

“When you’re talking about the astounding number of deaths that we have, harm reduction centers around having the individual and family members educated,” Milas said.

Here are some of the things Milas said people should be educated about concerning drug overdose:

1. Individuals should never use a medication in isolation
2. People should be aware of how to use a naloxone product
3. learn how to do CPR and rescue breathe
4. Be aware of opioids, alcohol, and medications that can be of harm to someone who has an addiction
5. Understand that consistent drug use causes the brain chemistry to change and chronic illness

Anewalt said, when trying to help someone dealing with grief because of a victim of drug overdose, the most important thing to do is be willing to listen.

“So often people mean well but we can’t fix other people’s pain. What we best can do is to listen,” Anewalt said. ‘People often feel uncomfortable, so they they say things that other people don’t want to hear. So, it’s the willingness to truly be empathic.”

Milas and Anewalt agreed that gaining knowledge about drug abuse is a great way to observe International Overdose Awareness Day and do our part to make a difference.