Tobacco use is still a problem for youth of Isanti County
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Press release provided by Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition
Despite reports that tobacco use is continuing to decline across the state, Isanti County has the highest rate of youth tobacco use in the region.
This trend is largely attributed to the rise of popularity of e-cigarettes. One in three of Isanti County 11th- grade students reported using tobacco products in the past 30 days, including e-cigarettes. Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death and disease in Minnesota.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 80 percent to 90 percent of all lung cancers are linked to cigarette smoking. The tobacco industry continues to target our kids with cheap and flavored products that contain nicotine, including e-cigarettes. Nicotine interferes with brain maturation and has long-term effects on development and mental health, states medical director of HealthPartners, Dr. Thomas Kottke. National data show that 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before the age of 21. Therefore, the youth of Isanti County are at a higher risk of developing nicotine dependence and more likely to use tobacco into their adult age.
The Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition hosted community education forums on tobacco in multiple locations including; Isanti, Cambridge and Braham. During these forums community members learned more about our current tobacco use rates and that tobacco is still an issue in Isanti County. Parents, local officials, and community members were surprised to see the high rates of tobacco use among our youth. The community forums also educated attendees on the facts about e-cigarettes and how they contain much more than just “water vapor” as many people falsely believe. After learning the facts, there was great discussion about ways to help prevent youth from starting to use tobacco products and showing our youth that we care.
To get involved with youth tobacco prevention work contact Deb Natzel at 763-689-8141 or visit https://icsaparc.wixsite.com/coalition.
Tara Gann April 20, 2017
Isanti-Chisago Star
Isanti County officers will now carry opioid blocker Narcan
The Isanti County Sheriff’s Office will now have immediate access to a lifesaving tool thanks to a partnership with the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition (ICSAPARC).
Recently the coalition wrote a grant that secured funding for the Sheriff’s Office to purchase Narcan kits for each of their officers.
Narcan is the brand name of the drug naloxone. It’s a nasal spray used by first responders as the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. The medicine blocks the effects of opioids and can reverse an overdose if given in a timely manner to a potential overdosing victim.
Currently 45 states have passed laws allowing law enforcement agencies to carry and use the medication. First responders such as EMTs and medical personnel have had access to Narcan and have been utilizing it in the community for over a decade. The decision was made for deputies to carry the mist as well since they are often the first on the scene.
Allina Medical Center trained all of the deputies on use of the kits, side effects, precautions and storage of the devices.
History and future of Narcan locally
Deb Natzel, founder of the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition and an Isanti County Family Services Rule 25 coordinator, said she had two goals after leaving a conference on the opioid epidemic in September 2016. “The first was to get a coalition started,” she said, “and (secondly) to get our law enforcement to carry Narcan.”
Natzel said there were several steps to that goal including getting all involved parties onboard with the endeavor.
“Michelle Liska and I sat down with Sheriff Caulk and Bruce Hildebrandt, Allina, to discuss the plausibility of the Sheriff’s Office carrying Narcan,” she said. “Further discussions were held regarding this at the coalition meetings, and the members were in support of coming alongside the Sheriff’s Office to research the funding piece of this endeavor.”
Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk said his deputies are excited to add this device to their daily routine.
“The deputies are very receptive of it,” he said. “They are ready for it. They have asked for it and they are ready to accept the responsibility associated with it.”
That responsibility includes caring for the kits. Because of Minnesota’s low temperatures in winter, the kits need to be brought in each day or night from the cold and stored indoors.
Narcan is completely safe for all ages, even adolescents, according to Caulk. And if children happen to get into it, a dosage won’t be toxic. “There is not a concern if children get into it,” Caulk said. “It may burn a little bit, but there are no side effects.”
For all Narcan’s life-saving properties and possibilities, Caulk cautioned that this treatment is not the save-all cure for any overdose.
“This drug is not the savior,” he said. “If you are not breathing we can’t get the medicine into your body to save you.” He explained that the medicine is given to an individual as a nasal mist, and a victim must be breathing in order for first responders to treat them. “There is a very small window.”
Coalition members are very pleased that the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office will soon be carrying Narcan, according to Natzel.
“Isanti County has not suffered the loss of life to the same extent as some of the other counties in our state,” she said, “but we are hoping to help prevent any more deaths due to heroin and other opioid medications – losing one more is too many.”
Drug Take Back Day
The addition of the Narcan kits comes on the cusp of an important event in Isanti County – National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
The event takes place on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office, 2440 S. Main Street, Cambridge.
Local residents are encouraged to go through their prescription medicines at home and bring in any expired, unused and unwanted drugs for disposal. No liquids, needles or sharps can be accepted. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
“We are hoping for a nice day,” Caulk said. “The coalition will be here handing out information and answering questions.”
Local law enforcement agencies and the coalition strongly urge all community members to turn over any medications not being used so they don’t end up in the hands of anyone who may become dependent.
The local event is part of a nationwide emphasis, and is a partnership between the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office, Cambridge and Isanti Police Departments, the Drug Enforcement Association (DEA) and the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition.
If a person cannot make it on April 29, Caulk said not to worry. “The drug take back here in Isanti County exists seven days a week, 24 hours a day if needed,” he said. There is a drug drop box in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office at 509 18th Avenue SW, Cambridge, open 24/7, and another box at the new Sheriff’s Office on Main Street open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information on the event visit the Isanti County Facebook page or the DEA’s site at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback.
Sheriff’s Office to begin carrying opioid overdose kits
Rachel Kytonen April 5, 2017
Isanti County News
If a person is having an opioid overdose and the paramedics haven’t arrived on scene yet, members of the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office may be able to help.
Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk explained that his officers will start carrying opioid overdose kits containing the nasal spray form of naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, in their squad cars after recently receiving training through Allina Health.
“The first responders will continue to use a needle to administer the naloxone, while our officers will start carrying the nasal spray,” Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk said. “We decided to go with the nasal spray because it was the easiest way for us to administer it after having discussions around our office and talking with other sheriff offices across the state who carry the opioid overdose kits.”
If naloxone is needed in a critical situation, Caulk explained it will only work if certain parameters are met.
“If a person is in need of naloxone, they will receive .5 milligrams to each nostril,” Caulk said. “But the Narcan will only work if a person is still breathing, their heart is still pumping and blood is still flowing throughout their body.”
Caulk said his officers received training in administering the naloxone and what signs to look for in a possible drug overdose.
“Our officers will look for pinpoint pupils, labored breathing and drug paraphernalia, such as needles,” Caulk said. “We will try to open up the airways, get oxygen into the person and keep them breathing. If their airways are open and they are breathing, we can give them one dose of the Narcan. Then we wait a few minutes, and if they are progressing, we can give them another round.”
Caulk cautions people from calling Narcan “a wonder drug.”
“This is not a wonder drug, but it is our job as law enforcement officers to try to save lives,” Caulk said. “Unfortunately people are using Narcan as a ‘wonder drug’ and are becoming reliant on it.”
Caulk’s department has a three-page department policy on what Narcan is, how it is administered, signs of an opioid overdose and training information.
“We are hearing stories of heroin parties where someone is bringing the Narcan and acting as the designated sober person, ready to administer the Narcan as soon as someone passes out,” Caulk said. “But just like with all addictions, maybe after getting so many shots of Narcan it will be the wake-up call someone needs to get the help they need. Maybe if someone gets three different shots, they wouldn’t have to go back a fourth time and we have succeeded.”
Caulk cautioned Narcan should not be used on adolescents and noted if Narcan is administered on someone who should not receive it, the only known side effect is irritation to the nose.
“Narcan has been used and talked about for the last two years among law enforcement agencies,” Caulk said. “We decided to move forward with the opioid overdose kits after discussions amongst staff in this office and our deputies.”
The cost of each opioid kit is $65, but Caulk said the replacement pieces, the medicine and the syringe injected into the nose, costs $35. He said the replacement costs will be funded through the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board.
“Many sheriff departments across the state have used Narcan and have used it successfully,” Caulk said. “There are times when someone may come to after having a dose of Narcan and they might not like it, and may try to fight with us, but we will use handcuffs if necessary to protect our officers. There could be times when someone is passed out, but breathing, and when they come too they could be agitated.”
Isanti County Investigator Wayne Seiberlich, who sits on the East Central Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, explained opioids are a concern.
“Heroin is on the rise in Isanti County and so are synthetic opioids in general,” Seiberlich said. “Our latest concern are the opioids being laced with fentanyl, which can be lethal to the touch.”
Seiberlich cautions the public about misconceptions associated with Narcan.
“We are concerned that the public thinks this is a cure. It has to be used within a certain time, six minutes, and after eight minutes, if a person still isn’t breathing, they could be facing permanent brain damage. We don’t want people to think ‘I’m safe now because I have Narcan.’”
The Isanti County Substance Abuse and Recovery Coalition, established in November 2016, has the goal to work collaboratively on preventing, reducing and addressing substance abuse in the community.
“We recognize that our community is not immune from these problems, and we are motivated to face them together,” said Deb Natzel, social worker with Isanti County Family Services. “We are also committed to making it easier for those in the midst of their addiction to get information about where to find help and well as support them in their recovery. By mobilizing the entire community – parents, teachers, youth, police, health care, providers, faith communities, business and civic leaders and others – our community can work effectively to develop a comprehensive solution to our community’s unique substance abuse problem.”
Natzel and Caulk appreciate the collaborative efforts between the coalition and the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office.
“The coalition members are very pleased that the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office will soon be carrying Narcan (naloxone),” Natzel said. “Isanti County has not suffered the loss of life to the same extent as some of the other counties in our state, but we are hoping to help prevent any more deaths due to heroin and other opioid medications – losing one more is too many. The coalition has also recently provided some urine drug testing cups as well as resource bags to the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office to give to parents that are concerned their children are using alcohol and other drugs.”
Seiberlich said officers may be able to save more lives because they will be carrying the opioid overdose kits.
“If we are able to save a life, we definitely should do so,” Seiberlich said. “Our ambulance first responders do an excellent job getting to the scene, but in some cases if law enforcement arrives first and Narcan is needed, we can start administering it. Narcan is something that is very easy to use and if someone does receive it who shouldn’t, there is no harm to the patient. Our law enforcement officers in the sheriff’s department were all on board with this.”
Seiberlich said medical personnel will still respond to every scene.
“The Narcan doesn’t necessarily save lives, but it brings the patient out of an opioid overdose so their life can be saved by medical personnel,” Seiberlich said.
The coalition, the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office and the Cambridge Police Department will be partnering together to host the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 29 at the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office, 2440 S. Main St., Cambridge. The event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications.
Caulk understands that no family wants to see a loved one battle a drug addiction.
“Nobody wants to see a family member on drugs,” Caulk said. “But if someone does survive an opioid overdose due to Narcan, they will have the second, third or even fourth chance they need to ask for help.”
For more information on the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition, email icsaparc@gmail.com, call 763-689-8141 or visit https://icsaparc.wixsite.com/coalition. The coalition also has a Facebook page.
'Chasing the Dragon' screening a monster success
Isanti-Chisago County Star
Tara Gann February 24, 2017
“As unfortunate as it is, there is a real problem,” said Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk, one of a number of law enforcement officers in attendance at the Feb. 15 showing of “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict” in Cambridge. Speaking about opiate addiction, Caulk added, “We as a community should never stick our heads in the sand and think that it does not affect us, because it does.”
His concern was shared by the full house in attendance at the Richard G. Hardy Performing Arts Center for the documentary showing. The event was hosted by the newly formed Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition. The film was produced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and serves as a real-life portrait of the growing opioid epidemic told through the testimonies of addicts and their families.
The evening’s events also included free pizza and educational resources about drug abuse and addiction.
After the viewing, a panel of experts were on hand to take questions including: East Central Task Force Investigator Wayne Seiberlich, Dr. Peltier of Cambridge Medical Center, Cambridge Police Department Officer and CIHS Resource Officer Jesse Peck, CIHS Chemical Health Specialist Charity Allen, Morgan – a 16 year old in recovery, Isanti County Attorney Jeff Edblad and CMC Pharmacy Manager Scott Skelton.
Facing an epidemic
“We are very excited that the community can come together for this educational piece,” said Cambridge Police Chief Tim Dwyer. “We are hoping the community can come away from this with a better understanding of the problems we are facing here in Isanti County and what we are doing to combat them.”
Dwyer’s hope is the event will educate parents to be proactive in the fight against the current drug epidemic. “Our hope is that we can see those early signs as the drugs are first coming into the home and address that as a unit,” he said. That unit includes parents, educators, hospital staff, law enforcement and city officials all working toward the same goal.
Parents at the showing expressed concerns about how the growing epidemic will affect their children and worry about being able to identify warning signs associated with druguse.
Carrie Goldsmithhale, a parent of six children, attended the event hoping to get training in just that area. “I want to know what to look for,” she said.
Because of this common concern, the event hosted a mock teenager’s bedroom set-up that parents and community members could walk through with details of what to look for to spot potential drug use. The mock bedroom was a popular area and had a line for most of the event.
Many concerned citizens
Parents weren’t the only concerned citizens in attendance.
Emie Jensen and Malaina Soliberg are student nurses who were assigned by their nursing cohort to attend, help pass out material and learn. Their teachers had expressed to them how important the event was to those entering the healthcare field with this epidemic growing.
“It is helping us to know what to look for and how it affects patients we are going to be working with,” Soliberg said.
Another group in attendance was the East Central Minnesota Young Life who brought their youth to the event. Rachel Radeke was among the leaders of the group that felt the message of the evening was one her youth could benefit from.
“Lots of kids are going through this,” she said, “and this kind of education can serve as a great tool.”
Mary Peltz is a pastor who splits her time between Word of Life Church and The Bridge Outreach. She is also a counselor and drug rehab specialist who spends a lot of her time visiting and speaking at jails and rehabilitation facilities.
“I brought a lot of my leaders and some of our recovery people to help to educate them,” Peltz said. She hopes to use the information as a training tool within the programs she facilitates.
“We are really happy to see the community coming together,” she added. Seeing community members, hospitals, recovery and prevention specialists and law enforcement all under one roof is a great start in helping to work together, she said.
In his comments, Sheriff Caulk agreed. “If we fight this battle as a team we will win. Alone, we will fail,” he said.
Recovery and the future
Caulk also said addiction recovery is so vital to the community. Addiction cycling from parents to children is a real problem and the result of what happens when successful recovery isn’t grasped.
“I have been here since the ’90s,” he said, “and we are definitely dealing with second generation cycles and are sneaking up quickly to third generation users.”
Isanti County Commissioner Terry Turnquist also said the community needs to invest in the recovery side. “These people that get into this are not throw away,” he said. “They are all coming back into the community. We want to make sure they are productive and they succeed once they get back in.”
And working toward that success will be the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition. Deb Natzel, coalition contact person and Isanti County Family Services Rule 25 coordinator, feels the “Chasing the Dragon” event was a good start.
“Aside from the technical (sound) difficulties, I think the evening went well,” she said. “The overall feedback from the survey was that people felt the movie was educational and impactful. Multiple requests were made for more events like this one.”
Natzel hopes the event and future ones will impress upon people the dangers of opioid addiction and inspire them to continue to educate themselves and their family members about substance abuse and be involved in the support of those in recovery.
“I am hopeful these events will also be a method of prevention for those young people that have never used any substances or prevent others from further use,” Natzel said.
There will be an encore presentation of the documentary on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. at the Braham Event Center. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to view the mock bedroom scene and enjoy some refreshments. For more information call (763) 689-8141.
Isanti-Chisago County Star
New alliance will fight substance abuse in Isanti County
Tara Gann
Feb 3, 2017
The Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition has recently been formed in Isanti County.
It came after Deb Natzel, an Isanti County Family Services Rule 25 coordinator, decided to attend a professional development conference about opiate addiction this past September after a 24-year-old friend of her son died of a heroin overdose.
“This conference came up,” Natzel said, “and it hit very close to home. ... We are not doing enough.”
She came away from the event knowing that something needed to change in her community that was already facing the problems of drug addiction.
“We can send people to treatment all day long,” Natzel said, “but unless there is more support in this community when they come home, and unless we get more support out there with prevention, especially with the opium issues, we will have more and more people dying.”
Though there had been a support coalition in the past when the methamphetamine epidemic was at its peak, it faded away when funding ran out. Before the new group was proposed, the county did not have this type of support group working to prevent drug use and to educate the community. “Every other surrounding county has a substance abuse coalition,” Natzel said.
Because of her experience with Rule 25, which states that to receive public funding for chemical dependency treatment, an individual must have a chemical use assessment conducted by a Rule 25 assessor, Natzel was well-versed in what individual churches and organizations within the community were doing in terms of prevention and recovery. With that knowledge, she invited those many assets to the table to become part of the Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition.
What leaders are saying
Those who joined forces come from all sides of the issue with a common goal of educating, preventing and assisting in a successful recovery. The coalition includes representatives from several local schools, law enforcement, many churches, family services, mental health professionals, addiction and recovery specialists, Isanti County Attorney’s office and county officials.
“The idea behind this was prevention and treatment for those people involved,” said Wayne Seiberlich, an Isanti County Sheriff’s deputy who is a member of the county’s Drug Task Force. “From a task force perspective, how can we be more proactive in preventing it to begin with?”
New Hope Community Church of Cambridge is known for being involved in recovery. Bill Berg, lead pastor, was very interested in the proposed coalition when he received an invitation to join. “Recovery is something we are very passionate about,” Berg said. “That is really why I am here. How can we move this topic forward in the community in both prevention and recovery?”
Brian Larson, Director of Administration and Recovery at New Hope Community Church, is also eager to see what he can contribute to the efforts. “Recovery is where my heart is,” he said. “I am almost 14 years in recovery myself, and I know the struggles.”
Though the coalition is based out of Isanti County, the founders feel it would be more effective if it joined forces with surrounding counties.
Gene Sherrod, Pastor of the Open Arms Church in Grasston, is one of those neighbors. “My goal is to learn,” he said. But he also wants to get to the root of the problem in those suffering from addiction.
“Often people are looking for a behavior modification,” Sherrod said, “where I am looking for a heart change.” He hopes his involvement with the coalition will help him be more prepared to recognize the signs of addiction so he can sooner get to the heart of the issue. He said he hopes to see an end to the chaos, destruction, personal shame and guilt that addiction brings.
“I have a big interest this coalition,” said Robin Ringer, manager of Dellwood Recovery Center in Cambridge. She said she has spent the last 25 years watching many recovery success stories, but also too much loss where prevention could have saved a life or a family. She wants to see the community work together and have a change in the mindset of stereotyping those suffering from addiction.
“There is a stigma around addiction,” she said. “Addiction doesn’t discriminate.”
When Michelle Liska, a Rule 25 Assessor with Isanti County Family Services, heard of Natzel’s idea to form the coalition she said she immediately asked to help in its development.
“We have chemical abuse in our county,” Liska said, “and we don’t have a lot of resources for prevention, for recovery and or any kind of help for families.”
Liska said one of the program’s goals is to see a reduction of first-time adolescent users. “We want to see kids being able to say no and feel confident in saying no,” she said.
One of the toughest parts of Liska’s career with the Isanti County Family Services has been seeing families come full circle in the problem with drug use and addiction. “We once were working with moms,” she said, “and now we are working with (their) kids because they think it is normal.” One of the missions of the coalition will be to promote more sober community events to show even the tiniest of spectators that an event can be fun without the presence of alcohol or drugs.
Informational film to be shown
One of the first actions the coalition is taking is to hold a public screening of the documentary “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict.” The film was created and directed by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration to paint an honest picture of opiate and heroin addiction’s consequences (for mature audiences).
The screening will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Richard G. Hardy Performing Arts Center at Cambridge-Isanti High School. Free pizza will be served at 5:30 p.m., the short film at 6:30 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by a question and answer time with an expert panel and audience discussion.
The public will also get to participate in an interactive mock walk-through of a teenager’s bedroom with discussion as to what signs of drug use to look for as a parent.
The newly formed coalition does not have designated funding and is looking for grant writers interested in doing pro bono work to help build their resources.
For more information on the coalition, the screening of the movie or grant writing opportunities visit icsaparc.wixsite.com/coalition, visit the Facebook page “Isanti County Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition” or call Deb Natzel at (763) 689-8141.