Tackling the opioid crisis in Lexington affecting the Black community
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — It’s a crisis that’s crippling the nation: the opioid epidemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
“If you in any way, shape or form think that you have a problem. Get help now, because anytime that you use, especially with a drug like fentanyl could be fatal. Just don’t wait,” said Dave Thomas, the clinical director at Roaring Brook Recovery.
On Tuesday, the city of Lexington held a town hall to address the issue at Consolidated Baptist Church.
Councilwoman Denise Gray leading the efforts in the town hall; she says one of the biggest misconceptions is that the opioid crisis isn’t affecting black and brown communities.
“When you see individuals who are dying of overdose due to opioid, you’re not seeing black and brown people. But the numbers are showing that African Americans in the state of Kentucky are the number one group that is dying due to opioid overdoses,” added Gray.
Dave Thomas also said that it’s important to cater to those in need and not make programs a one size fits all.
“You talk about even more of a lack of available resources, a lack of quality providers that are culturally competent in the treatment that they deliver. And so when somebody goes and they do seek treatment, a lot of times, they’re hearing about issues that aren’t specific to them. Because the treatment is mainly geared more towards a specific population, which not, you know, the vast majority of times, it’s towards Caucasian people.”
Organizers say they’ve teamed up with the state’s opioid abatement advisory commission to address the crisis. The commission has been tasked with ensuring funds from the opioid settlement, help those directly affected.
“Through campaigning and doing work in the community, I have learned that many people are turning to these drugs to feel ‘normal,’ and that is to that is numbing them from their pain that they experience on an everyday basis,” said Gray.
“We have to put a stop on this, we need to educate. And we need to target these populations where they are culturally, language, all those things do matter,” also said Gray.
