Local experts and federal officials say the national fentanyl crisis has come to Johnson County, and with it comes a lack of reporting systems and treatment resources.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids on Monday hosted a fentanyl summit with local health experts to learn how the fentanyl epidemic is impacting Johnson County and the rest of the Kansas Third District.
While the summit itself was closed to the public, Davids said the “shocking rise in opioid related deaths” in the past decade spurred her office to bring stakeholders to the table, face the issues and brainstorm solutions.
“This is happening across the country, and the Kansas City metro area, this part of our state and the entire state of Kansas is no exception to that,” Davids said.
Data is currently difficult to track
- Fentanyl is administered as a painkiller in very small doses to patients and is considered a highly effective opiate, according to Greg Helsel, the director of behavioral health at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission.
- Davids told press that emergency medical technicians, primary care physicians and others in healthcare lack a uniform way to report when they treat patients experiencing fentanyl overdose or accidental poisoning.
- Still, Davids said the statistics shared during the summit signal a crisis in the Johnson County community.
- Opioid usage is on the rise in Kansas teens at an adolescent treatment center — from 7.5% in 2020 to 53% this year, according to Kevin Kufeldt, director of addiction and residential services at Johnson County Mental Health Center.
- Kufeldt shared this statistic during the summit, which was then shared with the Post by Davids’ team.
- Helsel told press that the hospital sees fentanyl impacting all ages.
The lack of treatment resources is a current barrier
- Helsel said people seeking treatment have limited options. For instance, regulations restrict what hospitals like AdventHealth Shawnee Mission can do when someone who overdoses on fentanyl is admitted.
- There are also few outpatient options like residential facilities where patients can stay between 30 and 90 days, as well as partial hospitalization or medication-assisted treatment, he added.
- Helsel said he told Davids the most impactful thing the federal government could do would be to open up funding for mental health, prevention and treatment.
- “Anytime there is a gap or delay in care, we know the success of care goes down significantly,” Helsel said. “The longer it goes, the less likely somebody is going to be willing to engage in any sort of treatment going forward.”
What happens next:
- Davids said raising awareness is a big part of addressing the fentanyl crisis.
- Other than the efforts to make naloxone more readily available, Congress can look into classifying fentanyl as a Schedule I drug, Davids added.
- Schedule I drugs are those “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” like heroin and marijuana, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency website.
- “We’re losing too many people in general, we’re losing too many young people, we’re seeing too many accidental poisonings, we’re seeing too many lives upended and destroyed because of something, my hope is, that we can do much more to prevent and address,” Davids said.
Where can I find resources to discuss fentanyl with loved ones?
- Helsel said he’s part of a local coalition working with schools to do preventative education for students in Johnson County.
- He suggested folks turn toward the DEA for fentanyl-related resources.
- Another option, he said, is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Go deeper: Shawnee teen’s death from fentanyl prompts federal push
