Published by Reid Health, April 28, 2016.

It’s fall 2014, and a few kids are out for a joyride through Wayne County’s back roads. The mood darkens when a kid in the backseat — a high school sophomore – pulls out a heroin syringe and shoots up.

The dose is too high, and he loses consciousness. His friends, some of whom are also high, stop the car in a panic, leave the overdosing teenager on the side of the road, and call 911 as they speed away. The 911 operator guides emergency responders to the teen’s location. On the scene, the paramedics begin triage.

The first line of treatment for heroin overdose is a drug called Narcan, which can reverse the effects of heroin within two minutes. The paramedics quickly administer Narcan and bring him back from the brink. The teen is briefly hospitalized, but soon he’s back to school. And sadly, back to using heroin.

Indiana, like many areas across the country, continues to face a heroin epidemic. The drug has become easy to find and cheap to buy, causing problems in Indiana and across the country. But because of caring individuals in our community, like Hagerstown teacher Jason Schmittler, awareness is becoming action.

Inspiring education

While teaching an English class, Jason watched a teen lose consciousness in his classroom. After the student was taken to receive medical care, Jason learned that the teen’s abnormal behavior was caused by heroin. He was shocked:  “It occurred to me that this is unusual, but heroin is nowhere on my radar.”

This experience inspired Jason to educate his students on the horrors of heroin use. “I didn’t know then what I was going to do, but I’m not going to watch this kid die, and I’m not going to watch another kid die.”

Jason began researching heroin abuse and reaching out to others in the community, like Reid Health and Wayne County’s drug task force. With the support of school administration, he planned a heroin abuse education and prevention initiative aimed at convincing students to never pick up the drug.

A focus on prevention

It became clear to Schmittler that the message needed to be focused on prevention, a sentiment echoed by Reid Health CEO Craig Kinyon. “Inherently, there are so many people who don’t understand the power of addiction,” Kinyon said.

Heroin use is exceptionally dangerous, and overdose is frighteningly common. In 2015, approximately 203 patients were treated with Narcan for opioid overdose at Reid Health’s emergency room. Treatment for heroin addiction is challenging for patients and requires motivation and commitment. “Sometimes you can’t get someone motivated to be clean,” said Reid Health physician Dr. Erika Brandenstein at a meeting on the impacts of heroin. Relapse is common.

Community involvement

Prevention and education are vital to stopping the cycle of heroin addiction. With the cooperation of Reid Health, Wayne County drug task force, and the community organization Heroin is Here, Hagerstown hosted heroin abuse education presentations for students, parents, and the community.

By design, the presentations didn’t sugarcoat the gruesome reality of heroin abuse. Medical professionals from Reid Health, including Lisa Suttle, Director of Psychiatric Services, along with an emergency room physician, presented information on the mental and physical impacts of heroin use. Suttle, who leads Reid Health’s Neonatal Abstinence Intervention Committee, shared information on the unfortunate number of babies born addicted to heroin at Reid Health.

Wayne County Coroner Ron Stevens presented statistics on the number of recent heroin-related deaths, emphasizing that heroin addiction often ends with a trip to the city morgue. A local mother shared the story of her son, lost to a tragic heroin addiction. Finally, before opening a question and answer session, the Wayne County drug task force showed examples of common forms of heroin, including powder and rock heroin.

All portions of the presentation shared the same message- never start using.

The presentations highlighted the strength of our community when we come together to face an issue. “The drug task force can’t do it alone, Reid Health can’t do it alone, and the schools can’t do it alone,” says Jason “We all came together as one unit to give a powerful presentation.”

So far, similar presentations have been given at a few area schools and at meetings of community organizations, with more planned in the coming months. A recent meeting

If you or someone you know is struggling with heroin addiction, call 211 for support.