A shameful health care problem: The disparity between the great needs and accessibility of services for the chronic pain and addicted patient (with mental problems). A public health epidemic.

There are many factors that can tribute to the disparities in health care services for chronic addiction and pain patients across the country. They can be attributed to: inadequate medical support for medication management, drug dependence, lack of appropriate or accessible office based residential or hospital services, limited insurance benefits and financing. Both chronic addicted and pain patients have limited means of information, knowledge, and income and, as a result, their daily pain medication consumption often lacks appropriate monitoring or supervision. This also leads to poor nutritional intake supplements like fruits and vegetables. As a result of limited income, resources, frequent lack of adequate nutrition, mental illness and compounding stressors, abusive and high risk behaviors frequently occur.

Bay way of response to the plight of these patients and their families, reports from Bay Recovery Centers, Inc. Administration; 2003-2006 Evaluation and Outcome Studies, the American Pain Society, health journals and primary health care institutions report similar findings that “no group of patients in America faces greater barriers to sobriety and healthy living” than people with chronic pain associated with drug dependence or addiction.

International Association for the Study of Pain, 1999 reports that chronic addiction and pain patients get medications to deal with their pain addictions concluding that supervision of appropriate medication management is essential. Although healthcare providers offer separate treatment for pain or addiction throughout California, there are limited treatment facilities for chronic addiction and pain patients and their families. As a result many of these individuals go in and out of local hospitals and healthcare treatment centers without adequate treatment of their combined and more complicated needs. It is apparent that chronic addiction and pain patients who are able to obtain treatment often do so in programs that some would consider inadequate for their complex health care.

For many chronic addiction/pain patients in there long time consumption of high dosages of oxicontin, valium, and other prescription medication ultimately exacerbate the pain and addictive problems, ultimately leading to unstable behaviors associated often with severe mood swings. Additionally these patients are more likely to have poor nutritional diets high in fat and suffer and make and drink or abuse alcohol which account for the high occurrence in this population of high cholesterol, and pressure as well as malnutrition. So it should be no surprise that diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, obesity, malnutrition, asthma, and dental disease are and medical conditions frequently occurring along with the pain and addiction adding to the burden of illness and further complicating the treatment needs.

Based on these findings and the lack of health insurances coverage for this regulation, the problem has been reaching epidemic and public health proportions. As a result Bay Recovery Centers, Inc outreach efforts will be a considerable step towards improving access for these populations, connecting health services with the needs attempting to close the gap in the disparities between those needs and treatment for so many pain and addicted individuals (with associated psychiatric problems).