FROM THE REGISTRAR’S DESK
Update on
Progress in Our
Opioid Strategy
Rocco Gerace, MD
Registrar
As we confront this
catastrophic crisis,
it is important that
patients’ voices
continue to be heard.
I
n this issue of Dialogue, we
publish the stories of two
women whose lives were
devastated by opioids. Donna
May relives her pain as she talks
about watching her daughter, Jac,
succumb to addiction – an addic-
tion that would eventually claim
her young life. And Natalie Hache
has her own harrowing story of a
life ruined by opioid addiction. At
one point, as the effect of the dosage
waned, she started taking more and
more pills to help her get through
her waitressing shifts. When she real-
ized that the drugs would work faster
if she crushed and snorted them, she
started doing just that.
“By then, I had pretty much
figured out that I was hooked. But
I wasn’t willing to accept that it
was a problem,” said Natalie. “In
my twisted thinking, I thought it’s
okay, it’s a prescription, and I’m not
doing anything illegal. My doctor
gave it to me.”
Both women, despite their
experiences, say that they are not
anti-pharmaceutical. Both women
say they know people who have
benefited from opioid therapy. But
they also believe that a physician has
a responsibility to pay close atten-
tion to a patient’s mental health
and both Jac and Natalie suffered
psychological anguish that may have
made them unsuitable candidates for
opioid therapy.
As we confront this catastrophic
crisis, it is important that patients’
voices continue to be heard. I thank
both Natalie and Donna for their
courage and generosity in sharing their
intensely personal stories with us.
In our previous issue, we laid out
our opioid strategy and the actions
that we would take to address this
devastating epidemic. The College’s
opioid strategy is grounded in our
steadfast commitment to improved
patient and public safety. It identifies
and commits the CPSO to specific
actions within our legislated area of
responsibility, and we are committed
to reporting on our progress.
Recently, we released an update
on our progress in our four-pronged
approach that reflects our mandate,
namely to: Guide; Assess; Investi-
gate; and Facilitate Education.
ISSUE 3, 2017 DIALOGUE
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