How the Opioid Crisis Worsens Your Staffing Problems

[Randy Lucyk]

For me at least, I have had blinders on when it comes to this crisis. Unfortunately, they were torn off 6 weeks ago when we lost a 23 year old family member to a heroin overdose. Shae was a intelligent, middle class, hard working young lady from a stable supportive family. She held two jobs and had a couple thousand dollars in her personal bank account when she died.

She was not what I would picture when I think of the word junkie. Come to find out, she IS the picture of the new generation Junkie.

Prior to 6 weeks ago, I knew nothing about this disease. Today, I know almost nothing. But what i have learned from the 4 meetings on the subject I have attended, the documentaries I have viewed and the resources I have consumed, scares the living sh** out me.

My 3 and 6 year old grand children are at risk. Maybe not today, but not more than a decade away.

Just to be clear, many of these Junkies, just fall asleep and never wake up. THEIR BODY FORGETS TO BREATHE.

Their is a solution to this crisis. It will involve money for messaging. We have to raise the “perception of risk” associated with “trying” this drug to a point that a much larger percentage of our young population NEVER consider trying this method of escape, NOT EVEN ONCE.

The answer will require the involvement of the business community and it will involve the commitment of Grand Parents.

Our industry can do something about this, if we choose to. You can do something about it in your community.

Not one of us can do everything, but all of us can do something.