Senate Candidate Meets with Area Addiction Professionals

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – United States Congressman and Senate Candidate Tim Ryan appeared in Zanesville today to listen to healthcare professionals discuss their work toward handling the opioid crisis here in Muskingum County. The discussion that took place at the Pinnacle Treatment Center dealt with various issues around addiction treatment and recovery.

Pinnacle Healthcare Centers Regional Medical Director Dr. Daniel Brown noted the drug problem has created a staffing shortage in the healthcare system but explained how rehabilitation efforts are making an impact.

“Patients who come into a facility like this are in active addiction. When they come in and can receive treatment, we see that addictive behavior go away. And so that can mean a huge change in a community. It can also be a huge change for the next generation coming along if we have stronger communities, stronger families and hopefully work our way out of this pandemic,” Brown said.

Ryan, who serves Ohio’s 13th District in the House of Representatives, explained why he is concerned about the opioid and prescription drug epidemic that has ravaged communities in his district and all across Ohio.

“This has been an issue for years. I come from up in the Youngstown area and we’ve been dealing with it every single day. I think every family in Ohio has lost somebody, a family or friend and we’ve got to continue to support this kind of treatment, which is having a lot of success in keeping people sober, getting them back into the workforce and being productive members and we’ve got to do a lot more of this,” Ryan said.

Today’s discussion offered an opportunity for the various healthcare fields to network and discuss how to streamline their efforts to provide more efficient treatment and better outcomes.