AREA HOSPITALS AND REHAB CENTERS SWAMPED BY DRAMATIC RISE IN OPIOID OVERDOSES.
In communities across Northeast Ohio, a spike in opioid overdoses is outpacing the ability of hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to respond effectively. There aren’t enough detox or treatment beds for people seeking recovery, and for addicts who continue to use, potency makes the opioids difficult to counteract with naloxone, a drug that reverses their effects.
“We’re seeing more significant overdoses, in number and severity,” said Dr. Carla O’Day, director of the emergency department at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland. “In some cases, people have... needed double doses (of naloxone).”
Officials have linked the increase to the illicit distribution of fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller commonly prescribed for pain management in advanced cancer patients. It’s often mixed with heroin, and acts fast, producing an immediate, powerful high that suppresses breathing and can cause respiratory arrest.
According to county officials, there were at least 22 fentanyl-related deaths in Cuyahoga County in March, including 12 in a five-day span between March 10th and 14th—of that dozen, only four made it to hospitals before succumbing.
In addition to an increase in deaths, fentanyl is being blamed for a steady stream of non-fatal overdoses. On March 8th alone, Cleveland police responded to 10 overdoses, two of which ultimately proved to be fatal. Administrators at St. Vincent Charity said the hospital is seeing three to four overdoses a day, significantly up from recent years when that number was usually no more than one.
The hospital’s inpatient detoxification unit, Rosary Hall, is also overwhelmed. It averages around 3,200 calls for help in a month but is able to admit only about eight patients a day, said Wendy Hoke, Vice President, Marketing & Communications at St. Vincent Charity.
The 27-bed unit keeps patients for up to five days and seeks to transition them into longer-term rehabilitation programs. About 90 percent of those patients are addicted to opioids, hospital administrators said.
Dr. Chris Adelman, Medical Director of Rosary Hall, said the hospital is usually able to find a rehabilitation bed for patients at a treatment center or halfway house, but not without delays.
“Sometimes it takes several days to get them in,” Adelman said. “Most of the time that doesn’t work because they relapse. Of the patients here right now, most are repeaters who have been here five, six, seven times. We try to keep them alive and hope they make different decisions.”
CENTER FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY AT ST. VINCENT MEDICAL CENTER GETS NEW MEDICAL DIRECTOR.
St. Vincent Charity Medical Center is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Nowak, board-certified general surgeon, has joined the St. Vincent Medical Group. Dr. Nowak assumes the critical role of Medical Director for the Center for Bariatric Surgery, where he joins Dr. Craig Eyman in the bariatric program.
Dr. Nowak, who has been performing bariatric procedures for 12 years now, comes to St. Vincent Charity from UH Parma Medical Center and HealthSpan, where he served as Physician Medical Director for the past two years.
A graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Nowak completed both his internship and residency training at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, where he was also co-chief resident. He is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons.
Dr. Nowak is now seeing patients in Suite 207 of the St. Vincent Charity Medical Center Medical Office Building. To contact Dr. Nowak, call the Center for Bariatric Surgery office at 216.592.2801.
WHEN MINUTES COUNT, DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND COUPLE TURNS TO ST. VINCENT CHARITY.
When Charlotte Rhodes and boyfriend George Pasiadis set out for dinner in Downtown Cleveland one summer night, they never expected the evening to end in the Emergency Department at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.Charlotte, 26, a law student at Washington and Lee College in Lexington, Virginia, was living in Cleveland during the summer of 2015 while serving an internship at the law firm of BakerHostetler. While she and George, 27, a downtown Cleveland resident, were enjoying dinner at a restaurant in Cleveland’s Warehouse District, Charlotte began to feel lightheaded. She excused herself and as she made her way to the restroom she fainted, fell, and gashed her chin on the restaurant’s hard stone floor.
George immediately went to her assistance, along with some doctors who happened to be dining at the restaurant, too. Though Charlotte quickly regained consciousness, the cut on her chin stubbornly refused to stop bleeding, so paramedics were called while the doctors helped stabilize her.
Being unfamiliar with the area, Charlotte relied on George to help choose the hospital where they should be taken. He decided on St. Vincent Charity. “I haven’t had the best experiences at other places,” George said of visits to other area emergency rooms, “and St. Vincent was close, so we decided that would be our best option.”
Once there, Charlotte was given medication to control the pain and it was decided she would need stitches. Because she also hit her head, a CT scan was ordered to check for concussion.
Though the whole episode was “nerve-wracking,” Charlotte was thankful for caregivers who helped her feel comfortable and put her at ease, recalling how the physician’s assistant who sewed her up even made her laugh.
“Everyone in the emergency department was personable, friendly, and took the time to answer our questions,” said Charlotte. “They were quick, but thorough, which we appreciated,” added George.
When she returned to the hospital to have the stitches removed, Charlotte was impressed when she was recognized by one of the same nurses who treated her the night of the fall. “A week had gone by and she had probably seen a ton of patients during that time, but she still remembered me.”
Upon graduating in May, Charlotte will move back to Cleveland where she has already accepted an offer with BakerHostetler, and like many young professionals flocking to the area, she plans to live downtown.
“Knowing that St. Vincent Charity is close to where I’ll be living and working is comforting,” said Charlotte. “St. Vincent is a huge benefit for me and everyone living and working in the area.”
LOCAL SURGEON AND GYMNAST IS “THE VOICE OF GYMNASTICS” AT THIS YEAR’S COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Ohio State University gymnastics legend and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Michael Canales will serve as official meet announcer for the 2016 NCAA Gymnastics Championships held April 14-16 at Ohio State University.Dr. Canales has served as the official meet announcer for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ men’s gymnastics team three years running, and it was his voice and expert commentary heard at the Big Ten Conference Championships earlier this year.
Dr. Canales, who recently performed a record-breaking 20th consecutive Ohio State Alumni Exhibition at the age of 38, shares his personal and up-to-the-minute knowledge of all facets of the sport with gymnastics fans attending the championship meet. He also served as the keynote speaker and emcee for the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Banquet on April 14th.
Dr. Canales’ support for the Buckeyes and gymnastics extends from the sports arena to the surgical arena where he repaired gymnast Jake Dastrup’s torn Achilles tendon last year, allowing the Buckeye star to return to competition this season.
His unique perspective and knowledge of fitness and human anatomy also benefits every patient he treats at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. Dr. Canales specializes in advanced podiatric medicine and surgery, providing complete medical and surgical care for injuries and conditions of the foot and ankle.
Not surprisingly, his special interests include reconstructive surgery, trauma treatment, and sports medicine for the foot and ankle.
Dr. Canales holds a degree in podiatric medicine from Kent State University of Podiatric Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in molecular genetics from Ohio State University. He completed his residency training in podiatric medicine and surgery at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center where he practices today. Dr. Canales has co-authored several published works and is a national speaker on numerous podiatric medicine and surgery topics.
Dr. Canales remains in close contact with, and offers guidance to, many Olympic gymnasts, and he is married to Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Moceanu.
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