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Opinion: Potsdam councilwoman concerned about mental health, substance abuse

Posted 9/20/19

As a registered nurse working towards becoming a mental health nurse practitioner in St. Lawrence County, I am writing to encourage members of our community to contact their representatives in the …

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Opinion: Potsdam councilwoman concerned about mental health, substance abuse

Posted

As a registered nurse working towards becoming a mental health nurse practitioner in St. Lawrence County, I am writing to encourage members of our community to contact their representatives in the New York Assembly to support and co-sponsor A3830.

Per our most recent Community Health Improvement Plan and Community Health Assessment, hospitalizations for mental diseases and disorders have more than doubled throughout the county and hospitalizations for substance abuse and opiate poisoning greatly exceeds the statewide rate and has increased dramatically over the past decade.

Not everyone living with a mental disorder requires medication, but for those who do, it is of the utmost importance that they receive their medication timely and routinely. According to the Journal of Psychiatric Research, 90% of patients requiring medications to treat psychiatric illness are non-adherent to their regimens which leads to relapse, functional decline, and greater healthcare costs. A3830 is legislation that expands the scope of practice to allow a pharmacy to administer injectable psychiatric medications which increases easy access to the medications that best advance their recovery.

A study by European Neuropsychopharmacology concludes that injectable antipsychotics are more beneficial than oral antipsychotics because they lead to increased compliance, less frequent administration, and a more consistent plasma drug concentration.

I am extremely concerned about the rise of mental health and substance abuse related hospitalizations in our county.

I fully support Assembly Bill 3830 in order to improve outcomes for members of our community being treated for mental illness.

Toni Ann Kennedy

Potsdam town councilwoman