For this episode, the expert on this topic is Alicia House, who is the executive director of the Steve Rummler Hope Network. She is currently a member of the opioid epidemic response council in Minnesota and found her passion working in Opioid Use Disorder treatment in 2017. She has held a variety of positions as an Intake Director, Outreach Director and managing sober living homes. She specializes in building and maintaining relationships, outreach efforts, client care and marketing. Alicia received her B.A. in English with an emphasis on composition, literature and cultural studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The Steve Rummler Hope Network was instrumental in the legalization of Naloxone for all lay persons in Minnesota. This interview includes information regarding what Naloxone is, why it is important, and how stigma has affected Naloxone in Minnesota. Alicia shared a little of the history of the Network, and the process to legalize Naloxone in Minnesota. She did a wonderful job of humanizing those who use drugs, via sharing the experience that Steve Rummler had with Opioid Use Disorder. There was discussion of how opioids are being found in all drugs now, so this epidemic affects anyone who uses any drug, removing some of the stigma and “othering” of heroin users. She explained how to get Naloxone, and that everyone should carry it, as anyone could need it someday. She discussed race disparities among overdose deaths in Minnesota, which has some of the worse disparities in the nation.. She spoke to harm reduction, and how it is just meeting people where they are, that it is not encouraging use, but simply keeping people safer. She explained the importance of these programs, as people involved with harm reduction services are 8 times more likely to reach out and receive recovery services.

References: 

Earnshaw, V. A. (2020). Stigma and substance use disorders: A clinical, research, and advocacy agenda. American Psychologist, 75(9), 1300–1311. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000744

Mitchell, K. D., & Higgins, L. J. (2016). Combating Opioid Overdose With Public Access to Naloxone. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 27(3), 160–179. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000132

Volkow, N. D., Jones, E. B., Einstein, E. B., & Wargo, E. M. (2019). Prevention and Treatment of Opioid Misuse and Addiction: A Review. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(2), 208. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3126