Oxy-Free ERs a Step Toward Tackling Heroin Abuse, Say Police

'Why do we have such a problem with heroin' is often the comment heard as story after story is featured on overdoses and related deaths in Muskego and throughout Waukesha County. Police and emergency medical responders always point to 'oxy' drugs as providing the gateway to the abuse, and now are hopeful that recent changes at hospitals will help them out.

emergency room physicians in southeastern Wisconsin fed up with patients that don’t have legitimate reasons for taking prescription pain medications will soon be giving large doses of tough love to patients who are doctor shopping.

Nationally, narcotic prescription medication abuse, including abuse of oxycodone and oxycontin, is on the rise. So within the next few months hospitals in Milwaukee County are going “Oxy-free” and a Racine-based emergency department is also looking into doing the same. The information-sharing group includes officials from Froedtert Hospital, Wheaton Franciscan, Columbia-St. Mary's, and Aurora Health Care.

While some patients going to ERs have legitimate pain, others do not and are using doctors to prescribe the medication, unaware of any previous history and relying solely on their patient's word that these drugs have not been previously prescribed to the patient.

This is welcome news to Capt. John LaTour, with Muskego Police Department, who says communication and prevention at this level will ultimately impact heroin addiction down the road.

"These ER docs are being duped," LaTour told Muskego Patch. "They don't have a medical history very often with the patients they see who come in with a problem that's hard to detect on an xray, like back pain. They can only go on the little exposure they have to that patient, and they prescribe it."

LaTour also said that sharing information among health care providers will be key in cross-checking previous visits and prescriptions being written to avoid abuse.

Oxy drugs provide a similar high to heroin, but are more expensive and requires a prescription, which leads addicts to turn to heroin. Heroin is also more accessible and less expensive. As the public becomes more aware of the connection between the two drugs, LaTour said they are using them and disposing of them more carefully.

"The education is getting there that when these opiates can't fill the need, they turn to heroin. So events like our drug disposal day are extremely helpful in allowing for the safe disposal, and keeping these drugs out of the wrong hands," he explained.

Mu was held in May of this year, and netted more than 500 pounds of medications that were no longer needed or expired. Much of that amount was oxycodone and oxycontin.

"Everything we can do does help," said LaTour.