Mind and Body

Every life is worth saving

The signing of the Good Samaritan Act of 2016 marks the success of the recovery community, in the words of the late Jim Gillen, as a constituency of consequence

Photo by Richard Asinof

Jonathon Gower and a fellow member of the recovery community at the signing ceremony of the Good Samaritan Act of 2016.

Photo by Richard Asinof

Gov. Gina Raimondo signs the Good Samaritan Act of 2016.

Photo by Richard Asinof

The members of the recovery community holding up signs to thank the Governor for signing the Good Samaritan Act of 2016, because they had survived an overdose with the use of Narcan.

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By Richard Asinof
Posted 2/1/16
The signing of the Good Samaritan Act of 2016 is an important tool in promoting the use of Narcan to save lives by reversing drug overdoses. It is an important political victory for the recovery community in Rhode Island.
How will law enforcement respond to the new law? How will the R.I. Attorney General respond, who in the past has voiced concerns about the context of the law in granting immunity? Will the Governor’s budget reflect new investments in peer recovery coaching? What kinds of housing supports are needed to support people in recovery?
As the 2016 Presidential campaign moves from Iowa to New Hampshire and beyond, it remains to be seen how the importance of the candidates’ positions on the drug overdose and recovery translates into actual votes. Whatever the outcomes in the early primary states, the candidates may disappear on the campaign trail in other locations, but the issue is not going to go away as a growing local and statewide concern, as the number of deaths continues to increase. It may re-emerge as a critical issue in the general election for President in November.

PAWTUCKET – As ConvergenceRI walked up the wind swept hill on Main Street toward the Anchor Community Recovery Center on Jan. 27, he tried to recall all of the numerous media events he had attended there in the past three years.

There had been two candidate forums, the debut of new PR campaign about addiction being a disease and recovery being possible, at least two statewide forums on policy, the signing of an executive order creating a Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, and today, the signing of the new Good Samaritan Act – the first major accomplishment of the 2016 session of the R.I. General Assembly.

The law had expired in July of 2015, caught up in the political struggles between the House and the Senate at the end of the legislative session, and conflict over the kinds of immunity offered to people who called 911 in the event of an overdose. [See links to ConvergenceRI story below.]

In the new 2016 session, the Senate made it the first order of business, and passed its version on the second day. In doing so, it paid tribute to former Sen. Rhoda Perry, the original sponsor of the bill back in 2012. [See link to ConvergenceRI story below.] The House soon followed suit.

The new law has no sunset provision, and it provides certain immunity for people who call for medical assistance when a person is experiencing a drug overdose, including for individuals on parole or probation.

Real people, real recovery
The Anchor Community Recovery Center always made a great backdrop for a media event, because it was a real place populated with real people in recovery – and the passage of the Good Samaritan Act was a testament to the emerging political voice that those in recovery had fashioned and wore on their coats in the form of a button: “I’m in recovery and I vote.”

In recalling all the numerous events, the memories were tinged with some sadness: as much as there would be many familiar faces in the crowd at Anchor, some veterans would be missing at the celebration: the late Jim Gillen with his infectious smile; Holly Cekala, now working in New Hampshire, with her ability to cut to the chase when asking questions; and Dr. Michael Fine, the former director of the R.I. Department of Health, now working just down the block at Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, who had made addiction and recovery a public health priority. Had anyone thought to invite him?

Would Garry Bliss, long-time communications spokesman for The Providence Center, the agency network to which Anchor belonged, now with Integra, the accountable care organization at Care New England, be there?

Photo op
The signing, before a jam-packed room, served its purpose well as a grand photo-op: for Gov. Gina Raimondo; a host of senators and representatives, including former Sen. Rhoda Perry; and Jonathon Gower, a spokesman for the recovery community, who used the occasion to pay tribute to his mother, who was in the audience and received one of the pens used by Raimondo when she signed the law.

In the audience, there were dozens of people who had signs saying: “Thank you, Governor Raimondo. I survived an overdose with the use of Narcan.”

Rep. Robert E. Craven from North Kingstown, the sponsor of the House version of the legislation, said: “I hope I get to meet some people whose lives have been saved by Narcan.”

As if on cue, the two dozen people in the audience held up their signs and applauded.

The news
At the signing, Raimondo announced that $40,000 from the Google settlement was being used by the R.I. State Police to purchase more than 1,000 doses of Narcan that will be distributed to local law enforcement agencies.

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