Clay County Hospital Responds to Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the first National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week, designated as Sept. 18-23. DOJ has called it a "week of action" to raise awareness of drug overdoses and calls them a public health crisis.

Clay County Hospital, with the aid of a federal grant, recently initiated their C.O.P.E. (Community Overdose Prevention and Education) Project Providing education and support for preventing opioid and heroin use to Clay County. Michael McClane, Chief of Clinical Services at Clay County Hospital says, “I am so glad that the focus is being put on this growing epidemic. Clay County Hospital and our Behavioral Health Team are excited that we are able to offer these types of resources to educate people and acknowledge that there is a problem with Heroin use and prescription pain medication misuse. It will take medical providers as well as community members to protect our community from this problem.”

Ken Lane LPC, Clay County Hospital’s Substance Use Disorder Counselor stated… “Here at the Clay County Behavioral Health Clinic, every day involves education and prevention with Clinical Providers, staff and patients. We continue to have communication that includes minimizing the risks of opioid overdose. We focus on alternatives to pain management and stepping patients down from opioid use. We offer patient assessments, discuss with our patients treatment options, medical detox, inpatient treatment and outpatient options. We conduct a Substance Use Disorder Group (Severe) on a weekly basis every Tuesday at 4 PM. We sponsor a Narcotics Anonymous Group at the Hospital every Wednesday.  We continue to communicate with CADA (Communities Against Drug Abuse) to reduce Risks to our community. We are grateful every day for the resources, opportunities and administrative support from the hospital allowing us to be proactive in meeting this epidemic head on.”

For more information, call 618-662-2131, 800-762-2309 toll free, or visit the hospital website for a downloadable free digital copy of a COPE Project brochure at claycountyhospital.com.