White House adviser visits Alaska to discuss opioids and drug crisis

WASILLA — Anne Hazlett, the senior adviser for rural affairs at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, traveled throughout Alaska to discuss the administration’s efforts help to fight opioid crisis statewide, particularly remote regions.

Hazlett addressed the challenge of battling the opioid crisis in a state the size of Alaska. Those struggling with addiction in remote areas don’t have immediate access specialized care facilities, but they can learn to overcome their struggles over the phone, according to Hazlett

“We can solve a lot of those challenges through tele-medicine,” Hazlett said.

Hazlett said that people in remote areas can teleconference with a specialist to get help with their substance abuse. She said that several organizations have been offering telephonic counseling for years now, helping to bridge the gap. The South Central Foundation and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium are two prominent providers for these kinds of services.

Hazlett spent the last two days speaking at numerous meetings and agencies across the state. She met with state officials such as Adam Crum, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, and Amanda Price, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Hazlett also met several community partners they work with, including the South Central Foundation and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for tribal support. She was also impressed by the work being done in the Mat-Su Valley, praising people like Michael Carson, the Founder of The Mat-Su Opioid Task Force.

“He’s amazing,” Hazlett said.

She said that Carson met her in Anchorage before her flight to Valdez. Carson brought several active community members along to help illustrate what’s being done in the Valley to turn the tide of addiction.

While Hazlett was unable to visit the Valley this go around, she hopes to stop by next time, especially in Wasilla to visit with the Opioid Task Force and Valley’s only homeless youth shelter, MyHouse. She was very impressed with their work.

“I’m looking forward to an opportunity at some point to go over there and see what they’re doing at MyHouse,” Hazlett said. “I think one of the unique things they’ve been doing is to really look at the connection between trauma and addiction.”

Trauma can often cause people to cope by using substances leading to misuse, dependency and ultimately, if left untreated, an untimely death. Hazlett said this connection to trauma and addiction is something that other communities tackling addiction around the country should learn from the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force.

“We’ve been focusing on the immediate need which is getting people into treatment, and helping with greater law enforcement efforts. At the same time, it’s important to look upstream at what is often happening in a community or a family that might make people more vulnerable to substance abuse,” Hazlett said.

Last year, the White House designated Alaska as a high intensity drug trafficking Area, granting access to additional resources with enforcement to keep drugs out of the state. Hazlett said this will cover most of the state with its unique challenges.

“We’re hitting this crisis from all fronts right? We have people like Michael Carson who are helping families and people in their community who are struggling with addiction, get help with the resources they need or to help with trauma in their life so that people don’t step into addiction…” Hazlett said. “And you have people in the HIDTA program that are working to keep drugs from coming here in the first place. So all these pieces are a multi-prong effort aimed at saving lives and keeping communities safe and healthy,” Hazlett said.

The sheer size of Alaska with many remote communities evokes unique challenges, according to Hazlett. She said there’s a number of ways to address these challenges.

“…Whether we’re talking about the enforcement piece and knowing that things are going to be coming to the state through the mail or on someone’s person or by plane or boat. Or, we’re talking about the treatment side… how do we ensure that they, they’re living in a remote area have access to the healthcare resources they need… That’s why technology is really important,” Hazlett said.

Hazlett said that the administration regularly funds prevention efforts in communities across the state. Palmer Sitka and Ketchikan received funding last year through the Drug Free Communities program

“They can then use that money to reach kids throughout the schools and other venues in the communities to talk about the dangers of substance abuse,” Hazlett said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com