Environmental Factor – October 2019: Opioids in the workplace stir emotion at board meeting

The National Environmental Health Sciences Advisory Board met September 10-11 in Durham, North Carolina, to discuss NIEHS research priorities and consider new initiatives.

One of the agenda items seemed to strike a chord with everyone present.

With 130 Americans dying each day from opioid overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the opioid addiction epidemic has become a major public health crisis in the United States.

Workplace opioids are getting attention because workplace injuries sometimes cause workers to develop dependence on originally prescribed medications to treat their pain.

Worker training program response

The NIEHS Personnel Training Program (WTP) is developing prevention and intervention tools to help reverse the tide of opioid abuse, addiction, and death among workers.

At the board meeting, WTP Director Joseph “Chip Hughes” introduced a man on the front lines of efforts to prevent and treat opioid abuse in the workplace — Steve Romero, health and safety representative for the Union of Auto Workers (UAW).

Romero spoke poignantly about the tragic 2018 opioid-related death of his beloved 48-year-old brother. Jeffrey.

Romero, left, is working with Hughes to develop and distribute tools to help reduce opioid abuse and addiction. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

Hope in the face of sadness

“My brother became dependent on opioids after years of damage his body suffered from exercising and working on the store floor….At the height of his dependence, Jeff was taking 20-30 OxyContins per day, more than 10 times the prescribed daily dose.”

“I found my brother dead in his bed at the age of 48. As you might imagine, my family was destroyed.”

Nevertheless, Romero carried a message of hope and resilience.

“It’s time to treat those affected by this pandemic in the same way we treat other pandemics the world faces – with compassion, education, access to treatment, and financial resources.”

Rethink judgment

Romero said he used to think opioid use was a choice, but his brother’s death and opioid dependence awareness training at WTP changed his thinking.

Romero’s story captured the public’s attention. (Photo courtesy of Steve McCaw)

“Instead of disappointment, anger, and blame as the main characters in the movie of my life, they were replaced by empathy, understanding, and destigmatization in the title role,” Romero said.

Gary Ellison, PhD, coordinator of the council’s National Cancer Institute, spoke on behalf of many in the room. “Thank you for sharing your story,” he said. “I hope you find it helpful to turn such a tragic loss into something positive, where you can help others.”

Join forces

Today, Romero spends his time working with the WTP team on interventions to prevent and treat opioid problems in UAW factories.

For example, he attended a WTP workshop held May 15-16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, focused on reducing workplace stress and addiction.

Leaders of several WTP grantee organizations, such as the Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization (SCEO) and the International Firefighters Association, discussed the unique challenges faced by these workers.

Topics ranged from prevention and intervention strategies to removing stigma associated with mental health and addiction.

“As a program, we can change the narrative,” SCEO Principal Investigator Ashley Fitch said at the workshop. “We know what the headlines are saying now, but what will they say in the future?”

(Ernie Hood is a contract writer for the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.)

from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/environmental-factor-october-2019-opioids-in-the-workplace-stir-emotion-at-board-meeting/