Door and Kewaunee Counties are not immune from the opioid addiction crisis which claims an estimated 130 lives daily. So where do those trying to break free from dependence on opioid pain-killers go for help? Barb Johnson-Giese, the Door County Medical Center Behavioral Health Coordinator, says they should first visit their family doctor or local emergency room for an assessment.
Johnson-Giese says the community at large can help through a change of attitudes about addictions and addicts.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department declared opioid abuse a public health hazard in 2017. That came over 20 years after pharmaceutical companies declared publicly that patients given opioids could not become addicted to them. That's also when health care providers began prescribing them more frequently.
