We face a health care crisis in Ohio. In fact, the opioid epidemic is in every county in the United States.
Ohio leads the nation in opioid overdose deaths and this is something that will not change without a comprehensive solution. This drug crisis is not limited to one group of people, it is affecting people in all walks of life, all ages, and all incomes.
To properly address the issue, we need to treat the whole person.
Did their addiction start with prescription painkillers? Did it arise from a behavioral health issue? Did it start with a less addictive substance and graduate? There are no accidental addictions and this crisis is no exception.
At Third Street Family Health Services (TSFHS), we provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and addiction services. In addition, we provide outreach through community health workers. This allows us to provide that comprehensive solution that includes treatment of addiction as well as the underlying cause.
If a person recovering from addiction is unable to receive proper medical, dental or behavioral health care, the likelihood of relapse will increase. It is imperative that a person in recovery can sustain their sobriety by finding employment and avoiding the original cause of the drug usage.
It is frustrating to read about individuals needing emergency medical services multiple times. It is also expensive to provide these services along with life-saving medications such as Narcan. It is for these reasons that services received at TSFHS are so imperative. Medicaid expansion allows for the greatest access of services to all members of the community.
Grant dollars for opioid issues is not the correct solution to this problem. It will allow organizations, like TSFHS, to service a finite number of patients. Whereas, Medicaid expansion allows for the treatment of the individuals through full rehabilitation without setting a limitation on the number of individuals we can service.
Federally Qualified Health Centers, like Third Street Family Health Services, are adept at providing services to patients within their communities at lower costs. The average Medicaid patient seen by an FQHC cost 24% less than if they were to be seen by other providers.
By maintaining the extension of Medicaid and providing access to comprehensive primary care services, we can continue to drive down health care costs while providing successful treatments to our communities.
Plain and simple, taking away Medicaid coverage from some of Ohio’s most vulnerable populations will bring our increased capacity to a halt, and reverse much of what has been accomplished. I implore my state and federal elected officials to take note, and stand up for this essential coverage.
Jared M. Pollick, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Third Street Family Health Services
419-526-7880 (phone)
419-526-4911 (fax)
www.tsfhs.org
