Bartlett Regional | HouseCalls | Early Spring 2017

6 HouseCalls Early Spring 2017 diminish craving and increase sobriety,” Dr. Hiestand says. “A psychiatrist meets with the patient weekly to go over any co-occurring psychiatric disorders or medical conditions that might be contributing.” Dan is a perfect example of “why it’s important to have a good assessment and evaluation by psychiatric staff,” Schneider says. “Sometimes people with addictions have been self-medicating their mental health disorder. Sometimes people with mental health disorders use substances to get relief, which does not work. And I think if we had this discussion 20 years from now, we’d realize that many addictive disorders and mental health disorders are similar and that the brain, which is our master control center, is responsible for both.” “I would like to see us move toward a more integrated care model where medical care and psychiatric care aren’t so split,” Dr. Hiestand says. “That’s been very effective in other states. Often patients with psychiatric disorders or substance use disorders don’t go to their primary care physicians or they have a lot of unmet medical needs because they’re embarrassed. The more you bring those together under the same roof, the better the person’s outcome will be. That’s really part of the goal: to improve the communication between the two sides.” Looking ahead For Bartlett, the next step is implementing a continuum of inpatient and outpatient care for adults, adolescents and children. Schneider hopes to have the expansion of services completed and new physicians hired within the next two to three years. In the meantime, Schneider is “very excited about working with our partners in the community, particularly the Juneau Alliance for the Mental Health, Inc. (JAMHI), and Juneau Youth Services and helping develop those services more robustly.” She is buoyed by the hire of Ian Niecko, CDC2, M.DIV, PsyD (student), the new Director of the Rainforest Recovery Center. Niecko previously worked for the JAMHI, where he was the clinical case manager. Prior to JAMHI, he spent several years working in behavioral health with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. Schneider is also encouraged by former patients now in recovery, like Dan. “Hopefully a year from now we’ll have an alumni group full of clients that are sober and can maintain sobriety and help other clients in our community,” she says. As for Dan, “I either choose to drink and deal with the consequences, or I can enjoy life and not drink.” 1 Dan’s name has been changed to protect his identity. Opiates in Juneau: Bartlett takes action Over the past seven years, the Rainforest Recovery Center has served more than 700 people with opiate use disorders and more than 2,800 people with alcohol use disorders. Patients with alcohol problems were predominately male, Caucasian or Alaska Native (in almost equal proportion), unemployed, homeless, and single with an average age of 50. Opiate and heroin abusers were largely Caucasian and around the age of 25, with women outnumbering men. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has tracked the dramatic rise of heroine and opiate users in Alaska. Juneau is no exception. As of October 2016, the number of withdrawal management patients at Bartlett Regional Hospital had increased 115 percent since 2015 and 222 percent since 2011. Thinking locally Bartlett participates in the Juneau Opiate Task Force and other groups dealing with substance abuse in our community. The task force is working on identifying community factors contributing to opiate use and working on a strategic prevention plan. Bartlett received a state grant to provide medication-assisted treatment and outpatient treatment and expand detox services at the Rainforest Recovery Center. “Opiate use in our community is on the rise, and due to the highly addictive effects of the drugs themselves, treatment often takes multiple attempts for success,” says Chief Behavioral Health Officer Sally Schneider, MS. “Many times family members and loved ones become far more concerned about seeking treatment than the addict because they can see the damage that is occurring. Those seeking sobriety—or those that love them—should never give up.” Ian Niecko, CDC2, M.DIV, PsyD (student), Director of Rainforest Recovery Center —Continued from page 5