Health care groups join anti-meth campaign

The News Examiner (in Gallatin, TN)

March 22, 2006


NOTE: The following text in dark blue font was excerpted directly from The News Examiner. Additional information, in green font, has been added by White House Cyber Library.

In response to the dramatic impact of methamphetamine on Tennessee's healthcare providers, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference announced partnerships with 11 healthcare organizations as part of the Meth Destroys campaign.

The television program Frontline (from the Public Broadcasting System) recently ran a program on the dangers of meth entitled, The Meth Epidemic. "What makes methamphetamine such an attractive high?," they ask. "Meth users report that after taking the drug they experience a sudden 'rush' of pleasure or a prolonged sense of euphoria, as well as increased energy, focus, confidence, sexual prowess and feelings of desirability." According to a recent story in Tacoma Washington's News Tribune (04/11/06), in some areas "meth is now second only to marijuana --surpassing alcohol--as the drug that sends most teens to treatment." Sometimes a friend or relative-- even a parent--will offer meth to a child and will be the reason for the teenager's addiction. However, the reasons teens use meth are many--ranging from a desire for weight reduction to a desire to stay up for long periods of time (users can go for days without sleep). Since meth also increases sexual libido, it is doubtlessly popular among latchkey teens and young adults who engage in promiscuous sex and attend all-night parties. However, according to Frontline, "meth's cruel irony is that while it increases sexual desire and stamina, it ultimately decreases the user's sexual desirability and performance. Chronic, heavy use of the drug destroys the user's good looks and leads to impotence." Take a look at the following changes in appearance that this woman experienced in only two and a half years of meth use:


Source: Frontline (PBS)

Some of the dangerous medical effects meth can have on a person include: lowered resistance to illness, liver damage, brain damage, stroke and death.
A growing number of individuals with meth-related injuries are popping up in emergency rooms in Tennessee's rural and urban areas, often at significant cost to the hospital or health-care provider. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, trauma patients who are meth users are more likely to have longer stays in the hospital, and are likely to incure medical bills $4,000 higher than the general population.

"It's no secret that meth is having a terrible impact on communities across our state, but few people realize how serious the effects are within the medical community," District Attorney General Ray Whitley said. "Because of the problems Tennessee's hospitals, physicians and nurses are facing, we felt it was important to reach out to this group as part of our campaign. Partnering with these health care organizations expands the reach of the Meth Destroys campaign and will help us as we continue to fight against meth."

Partners include Erlanger Health System (Chattanooga), Jackson-Madison County General Hospital (Jackson), Methodist Healthcare (Memphis), Mountain States Health Alliance (Johnson City), Tennessee Dental Association, Tennessee Dental Hygienists Association, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Hosptital Association, Tennessee Poison Center, Univeristy of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville) and Vanderbilt Medical Center (Nashville).

In 2005, the National Association of Counties (NACo) reported that 68 percent of hospital officials have seen an increase in the number of meth-related emergency room visits over the past three years. Hosptitals in areas with high levels of methamphetamine use are exceptionally vulnerable to the impact of meth treatment.

"Every day, dentists and physicians across Tennessee are seeing first-hand what effects meth has on patients," David Horvat, executive director of the Tennessee Dental Association said. "Meth abusers can require serious medical and dental attention. Those who are uninsured can incur significant costs for treatment, and hospitals many times have to absorb that cost when the health effects go beyond dental issues. These patients can drive up insurance premiums for everyone else. Partnering with the Meth Destroys campaign gives us a chance to combat this trend through education."

Healthcare partners are communicating the Meth Destroys campaign message to their audiences through newsletters, e-mail blasts and the Web. Many of them are distributing hard copies of campaign materials to their audiences through mailings and displaying education materials in their facilities.

In addition to the existing posters, youth brochures and adult education booklets, a symptoms sheet about "meth mouth" as recently created through collaboration between the district attorneys and health care partners.

Meth mouth is a condition common in habitual meth users that results in the rotting and deterioration of the teeth and gums due to the chemical ingredients in meth. To raise awareness among doctors and dentists of meth mouth, the sheet details the symptoms of the condition and provides phone numbers should patients admit to using meth. The symptoms sheet has been distributed across the state to hospitals, county health departments and dentists' offices.

The symptoms sheet is available for download at MethFreeTn.org, as are all campaign materials. Hard copies of the sheet can be requested by visiting the Web site.

Meth Destroys is a methamphetamine education campaign organized by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and funded by a grant from the Governor's Office. It includes outreach efforts by the district attorneys in Tennessee's 95 counties to schools, businesses, and community and state organizations. For more information about Meth Destroys, visit Meth-Free Tennessee


 (this page last updated 03/29/06)

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