“This is the most serious challenge we may face in our lifetimes”.
Those were the words of Justice Steven David of the Indiana Supreme Court at the Statewide Opiod Summit held July 25th, in Indianapolis. The summit, organized by Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush, included teams of professionals and community stakeholders from all 92 counties in Indiana. Judges, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officers, police officers, mental health professionals and others gathered to hear professionals discuss the terrible opiod epidemic Indiana faces and to learn about possible solutions and strategies to deal with the problem.
Attending the summit with me from Switzerland County were: Prosecutor Monica Hensley, defense attorneys Lisa Rosenberger and David Hickman; Chief Probation Office Jeff Theetge; and Erika Coy of Community Mental Health.
The summit included sessions on the science of how one becomes addicted to opiods; the benefits of medically assisted treatment of those addicted to those types of drugs; using 211 & Open Bed Software to locate treatment resources; sobriety treatment and recovery teams; legal and policy barriers to effective opiod interventions; treating opiod use disorder in jail settings; and best practices for individuals with a substance use disorder.
There were two very powerful moments in the summit that were used to illustrate that opiods can affect all families, and that they can be overcome successfully. The beginning of the summit featured remarks by the Judge William Nelson of the Marion Superior Court, who played a 911 recording in which a woman can be heard screaming and which ultimately resulted in the death of the woman’s 20 year old son. The woman was Judge Nelson’s wife and the 20 year old was his stepson.
Switzerland County officials recently attended a summit in Indianapolis that focused on battling the problem of opiods in society. Shown here are, from left: Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David; Switzerland County Circuit Court Judge Greg Coy; Erika Coy of Community Mental Health; defense attorney Lisa Rosenberger; prosecuting attorney Monica Hensley; chief probation officer Jeff Theetge; and defense attorney David Hickman. Photo provided.
This is a problem which we will not solve in the near future; however, this summit served to provide us all with more information and a unified direction for Indiana that will helpfully not only lead us toward a unified strategy in dealing with the problem but also, and most importantly, save lives.
— Circuit Court Judge Greg Coy