Student-doctors from Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine heard from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in September about ways that physicians can help stop opioid addiction. His visit to Liberty’s Center for Medical and Health Sciences closed out a lecture tour to all medical schools in the Commonwealth.
Northam served as a doctor in the U.S. Army and spent years in the private sector as a pediatric neurologist at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Va.
In 2017, 1,227 Virginians died from opioid addiction. Northam said that physicians must realize that the disorder is chronic and won’t just go away on its own.
“These people are just like you and me,” he told the student-doctors. “They’re family members, they’re our neighbors or friends. They’re not bad people.”
Northam introduced Ryan Hall of Covington, Va., a recovering heroin addict who shared his story of being a prominent high school athlete, suffering a serious injury, and depending on heavy painkillers. The experience led him to develop a heroin addiction.
Providers must be careful with how they treat acute and chronic pain, Northam advised. Better treatment comes not by simply adding a higher dosage of pain medicine but by asking questions and finding out your patient’s medical history.
“We don’t want our patients in pain, but pain can be helpful,” he said. “It can lead you to where the problem is and help you make a diagnosis.”
