BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — Amid the deadly opioid overdose crisis, hundreds of thousands of our nation’s veterans have been especially vulnerable.
That’s partially why the Department of Veterans Affairs was out front in recognizing — and responding to — America’s opioid epidemic.
“Our goal is safety,” explained Dr. Ireneo Diaz, associate chief of staff for medical service at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center. “That’s the primary thrust of the Opioid Safety Initiative.”
Under that initiative, which was launched in 2014, the VA has reduced the number of veterans prescribed opioids nationwide by 27 percent, from 679,376 veterans to 492,295. The VA has initiated similar reductions among the 42,000 veterans who receive VA health care in West Michigan.
But that change has come at great cost to some veterans in our communities. What about veterans who relied on opioids for a little bit of freedom from the chronic pain they endure — often the result of their military service?