Sep 30, 2018 2 min read

So, the politicians out there say they want to deal with the opioid crisis. They need to come to the emergency rooms where overdosed addicts roll in to get Narcan and show back up later the same day for more Narcan for yet another overdose. You should talk to the doctors and nurses, follow them as they care for these people time after time. Follow them into the special consulting room to talk to the families and share the devastating news that their loved one’s addiction has finally succeeded in destroying them.

Don’t patronize us. Don’t say you “understand” this problem without once ever getting your hands dirty or seeing the problem firsthand in all of its ugliness, frustration and destruction. You roll up your shirt sleeves and attend church picnics, shake hands and kiss babies, but you truly don’t want to understand this crisis, and what we as healthcare workers are dealing with, because the fact is it isn’t pretty. You can’t make some nice commercial out of this. You can’t make an attack ad about your opponent on this. So you somberly nod and swear that you’re going to something about it. But the fact is until you witness it firsthand, you’re just as clueless as your fellow candidates as to what to do to about it. 

Come visit those of us on the front lines and fighting in the trenches of this terrible epidemic and then maybe we’ll start to believe when you say you understand. You have an open invitation to come round with me anytime. I won’t hold my breath.

Leah Bond RN, MSN, CRNP

Canonsburg