Editor’s note: The growing heroin epidemic across the nation has affected New York, too. CSEA members in many places and job titles are seeing the effects every day. Last month, The Work Force examined some of the impact on real lives. This month, we look at how CSEA members are making a difference. The series continues on pages 10, 11 and 12. KENMORE — It looks like the waiting room of any doctor’s office; people of all ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds wait to be called. While the clients are very different, they are all unified by one common trait: addiction. And, in many cases, it’s an addiction to opiates: painkillers or heroin. “Ten years ago, we had the crack cocaine epidemic,” said Kim Drozdz, a CSEA member and supervising alcoholism counselor at Northern Erie Clinical Services in suburban Buffalo. “Today, it’s opiates. We’re seeing a lot of pain management clients coming in for help. They start with a legitimate prescription for painkillers but when doctors will no longer prescribe the pills the person often ends up on heroin.” Drozdz has worked in the chemical dependency field for almost 30 years. Throughout her career, she has assisted thousands, of people who want to break the cycle and get their life back. Today, she is an integral part of the Suboxone program at Northern Erie. “We are seeing a lot of ‘non-traditional clients,’” Drozdz said. “The face of addiction has changed.” One recent day, she received a call from a senior citizen who said he was “desperate” to get into the Suboxone program and off painkillers. Suboxone is a medication for the treatment of opioid dependence. Not every doctor is able to prescribe the drug and those who can are limited in the number of scripts they can write. “The problem with Suboxone “Part of addiction is living on the edge. Chasing the drug is a big part of the urge. Once they get the drug, the urge is over and then the cycle starts again. There has to be behavior changes. If you don’t deal with the behaviors, you’re going to see relapses.” programs is that they’re full,” Drozdz said. “If you call around, you’ll find that most places have long waiting lists. Our program is full, too.” The three-phase program runs several months to a year or more. During each phase, addicts attend counseling sessions that focus on urge management, coping and relapse prevention skills. Meanwhile, the doctor regularly reduces the Suboxone dosage. “Part of addiction is living on the edge,” Drozdz said. “Chasing the drug is a big part of the urge. Once they get the drug, the urge is over and then the cycle starts again. There has to be behavior changes. If you don’t deal with the behaviors, you’re going to see relapses.” Program participants generally want to be there and they do work to be clean, Drozdz said, and “by and large, they are very serious.” Clinic staff, the doctor and outside pharmacies work together to preserve the integrity of the program. “Of course, we get the players who think they are going to come in and get around the system, but we’re all on the same playing field so there is no getting around the system,” Drozdz said. “Overall, we’ve been very successful. We’ve had a few babies who were born drug free. We have a lot of clients who have been here a long time and they’re doing what they need to do.” — Lynn Miller Social service professionals see faces of addiction changing Kim Drozdz is a supervising alcoholism counselor at Northern Erie Clinical Services in suburban Buffalo. She says a lot of “non-traditional” clients have been coming into the clinic for help with their addiction. Many are pain management clients who have turned to heroin when they could no longer get the pain pills. “One of the issues we’re facing is parents who are not able to care for the children, due to loss of money and inability to care while under the influence. We’re also seeing more unattended child cases, as parents spend more time out of the house for their drug use. Theft has also increased due to need to have money for the drug.” “Going into the homes without that knowledge poses problems, too. Not knowing who is under what substances is always dangerous, but unlike probation and police, we in adult and child services are not able to carry Mace or protection of any kind. We just walk in and hope for the best.” “Lack of money leads to issues, too, because adults take off for days and we do not know where our clients are. This is bad, especially if they have mental or physical issues that need daily attention.” — Liz Daugherty, Jefferson County Department of Social Services caseworker in Watertown, president of CSEA’s Jefferson County Unit October 2014 The Work Force 99
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