Welcome!
Feb. 14, 2025

Opioid Crisis

The player is loading ...
Health Chatter
Opioid Crisis
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon

Stan, Clarence, Barry, and the Health Chatter team chat with Dr. Kumi Smith, Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, about the opioid crisis.

Dr. Smith's research focuses on health disparities at the intersection of infectious diseases, substance use, and unstable housing. She develops structural interventions to support clinical workers in delivering culturally specific and trauma-informed care for marginalized patients. Her expertise spans HIV, STIs, infectious disease dynamics, intervention science, sexual health, and healthcare stigma.

Join us for an insightful discussion on the opioid crisis, its impact on public health, and the interventions needed to create more equitable and effective care systems.

Join the conversation at healthchatterpodcast.com

Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.

More about their work can be found at huemanpartnership.org.

Research

  1. Language matters! 
    1. Substance use disorder (SUD) v. addiction 
    2. Person with SUD v. addict 
    3. Being in remission/recovery v. clean
    4. Drugs v. substances 
  2. Background 
    1. What are opioids? 
      1. Compound extracts from the poppy plant as well as synthetic/semi-synthetic compounds 
        1. Natural: morphine, codeine, opium
        2. Semi-synthetic: heroin, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin)
        3. Synthetic: fentanyl
      2. Effective pain-relievers that can cause euphoria and lead to addiction 
      3. Can be produced legally and/or illegally  
    2. How do opioids work in the brain?
      1. Activate an area of nerve cells in the brain called opioid receptors that block pain signals between the brain and body 
    3. How do you know if someone is overdosing?
      1. Pinpoint pupils, 
      2. Difficulties breathing
      3. Slurred speech 
      4. Discolored skin 
      5. Lack of consciousness
    4. Social determinants of health & substance use
      1. Conditions within a home, family, school, and community that can impact a person’s ability to be healthy
      2. Often mapped using the Social Ecological Model (SEM)
        1. Individual level – physical health, mental health, trauma, health knowledge
        2. Interpersonal level – access to opioids, access to peer/family support, family history of substance use, attitudes/opinions towards substance use
        3. Community level – access to culturally specific providers, prescribing practices, access to Narcan/Narcan training, public health programming, harm reduction, programming
        4. Societal level – stigma towards people with substance use disorder, legislation around substance use, policies that promote racial/health equity, health insurance coverage for substance use
    5. Structural racism & substance use 
      1. Linked to increased risk of substance use and overdose 
        1. Ex: In MN, black and Indigenous communities have unequal access to healthcare resources
    6. 3 waves of deaths related to opioid use 
      1. Prescription opioids (1990s)
        1. OxyContin, morphine, etc. 
      2. Heroin (2010)
        1. High-purity, low-cost heroin became economically logical and easily available 
        2. Highest rates of heroin use in the Northeast and Midwest 
      3. Synthetic opioids (2013)
        1. Fentanyl: a synthetic opioid 50-100x more powerful than heroin 
        2. Xylazine: long-acting sedative typically found mixed in fentanyl; also known as “tranq” or “tranq dope” 
  3. In Minnesota
    1. In 2022, 80% of overdose deaths in MN involved at least one opioid 
    2. In 2023, 50% of people who died from opioid-involved overdose deaths were white (over 70% of the MN population)
      1. 28% black (8% of MN population)
      2. 14% American Indian (1% of MN population)
  4. In the United States
    1. In 2022, over 220 people (in the US) died from an opioid overdose every day 
    2. CDC data indicates that overdose deaths involving opioids decreased by around 3,000 between 2023 and 2022
      1. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (ex. fentanyl) decreased, but deaths from cocaine and methamphetamine increased 
  5. Prevention & Treatment 
    1. What to do if you think someone is overdosing
      1. Administer Narcan
      2. Try to keep the person awake and breathing
      3. Lay the person on the side to prevent choking
      4. Stay with the person until emergency medical assistance arrives 
    2. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment 
      1. Withdrawal management/detox 
      2. Therapy 
      3. Medication
        1. Medicines for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
        2. Ex. Methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, etc. 
    3. Naloxone (Narcan)
      1. Can reverse the effects of an overdose from opioids 
      2. Nasal spray and injectible 
    4. Fentanyl test strips (FTS)
      1. As of 2021, FTS are legal to possess, carry, and distribute in MN 
    5. Harm reduction
      1. Chooses to minimize the effects of harmful substances rather than ignore, condemn, or criminalize them 

Sources