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Heroin(e) (2017)
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[siren wailing] [man on radio] Four is responding. [woman 1 on radio] 1401 Washington Avenue, at Gino's Pub. Female has been locked in the bathroom for over an hour. They can't get to her. She's overdosed on something. [Jan] She did overdose in the bathroom? She did overdose in the bathroom? [woman 2 on radio] 4773 Logan Street, there off Darnell. 23-year-old female. We have a 23-year-old female. She's dead, overdose. It's in Barboursville. It's out in the county. I've got some naloxone for you. [woman 3 on radio] Copy one. You're responding to 1332 10th Avenue for an overdose. -[voices overlapping] -[indistinct radio chatter] -[man 1] 4-5, I have a man down. -[man 2] This is 10th Avenue. Overdose. [Jan] It's sad when you can drive around the city and say, "Oh, somebody died there, somebody died there." But that's the reality of this area. This white house right here, we had two deaths in that house in 2015. It's crazy. When you add hopelessness and unemployment, and lack of education on top of all that, it's kind of like a recipe for disaster. I fear that we've lost a couple generations, not just one generation. I fear that we've lost more than that. [Jan] West Virginia is mainly a blue-collar state, in general, so we have a lot of people that work hard for a living, do a lot of physical labor. There's a lot of injuries, lot of people in this area got hooked on pills through a legitimate injury, and, uh, have now moved on to heroin because they can't get pills anymore. How about Selena? Congratulations. You're the new girl. [all chuckle] -Welcome to drug court. -Thank you. Uh, I'm Patricia Keller, I'm the judge. One thing that's very, very important in drug court, is that you show up. -Okay? -[Selena] Absolutely. It ranks right behind being honest. Honest first, show up second. Then, third, try not to use drugs, okay? -Did you really relapse? -[man] Yes, I did. Tell me about it. I was just in my head about a lot of things, and I ended up using. Were you honest with him about your relapse? -[man] Yes. -Tell me how you were honest with him. When I went in to see him the next morning, we got in his office, as soon as I sat down, he said, "What's been going on?" And I started from right there and told him. I have to say, that's what we call an honest relapse. Sometimes, unfortunately, relapses happen, particularly early in the program. But if you're honest about it, I can work with you. 'Cause I can't tell you how many people relapse and try to lie about it, figuring it's just easier to lie about it, and it never is. Focus, focus, focus on what? Myself, my recovery. To help you do that right now, I want to give you some direction and some structure. -I'm gonna put you on home confinement. -Okay. Okay. You were going to have me do four more hours extra of community service. -How many hours of community service? -Four. No, I was going to have you do 12. -Well, my eight and-- -No, 12 for your relapse and eight which you normally have to do. No, ma'am. It was four. You gave me four. Let me give you a clue, okay? This is only your second week. -But don't ever say "no, ma'am" to me. -Yes, ma'am. -But I understand you didn't do any? -No, ma'am. When I was on parole, my parole officer didn't expect nothing from me. Kind of, in my head, I thought maybe this is how that would kind of work. And I'm finding... The people I've talked to said no. -We don't roll that way, do we? -Right. No, ma'am. -No. We don't roll that way. -No, ma'am. I appreciate your honesty in telling me that you didn't think -it was really that big a deal. -Yes, ma'am. -Now you know it is a big deal. -Yes, ma'am. And you know I am going to sanction you again. -So I'm going to put you in jail. -Yes, ma'am. -I'm gonna have you do 24 hours in jail. -Yes, ma'am. [indistinct chatter] Thank you, kind sir. [Necia] I was reading the paper one day and a girl had been murdered in a cornfield. They found her body in a cornfield about 40 minutes from here, but she was a Huntington girl. It had just said, basically, a prostitute was found in a cornfield and she was murdered and it was kind of, like, the end. And it just really kind of tore me up that nothing happened, you know. There wasn't anybody that really kind of looked to see who killed her. It was just one less person that you had to fool with is what I read out of the article. So I was just going to take brown bag lunches and put a gospel track in them and find some prostitutes, and I just thought they would just sit on a step and read a track and get some food and get Jesus, and everything would just turn out awesome. [chuckles] And it didn't turn out that way. [Necia] Hey, pretty lady. [woman] Come over! [Necia] Where have you been? [woman] Home. -[Necia] Well, that's a good place to be. -Yeah. I try to be good. -How are you doing? -[Necia] How's it going? [woman] My sister came home with a new baby. -[Necia] She had a baby? -Yeah, she did. [Necia] Very good. Are you still living over here? [woman] It's the prettiest thing on the Earth... Um, yeah. I was looking for you the other day. Freeman, is it? -[Necia] Yeah. I'll look for you. -Okay. [cell phone ringing] Oh! Here's Western Regional Jail. This is one of the girls calling from jail. [automated voice] I have a prepaid call from... -[woman] Belinda... -[exclaims] -An inmate at Western Regional Jail. -Yes! I love Belinda. -[Belinda] Hello? -[Necia] Hey, Belinda! We came, uh... This past week, I've came across a new rehab. It's in Hanging Rock, Ohio. It's about maybe 45 minutes, an hour, away from Huntington. And I would love to see if we can get you in there. [Belinda] I just don't want one right connected here. So I think me venturing out in a new place will put my new thoughts that I have in a good state. -[chuckling] Love her. -I think it would be good for me. I think you're right. When we first started, this is where all the arrests would take place. This is 6th Avenue. The citizens are tired of seeing the girls walking up and down the street, but what the citizens need to realize is if there weren't men driving up and down the street to pick them up, the girls wouldn't be there, so quit arresting the girls and start doing some reverse stings and arresting some men. I don't have an objection to the girls getting arrested. What I have an objection to is that the girls are the only ones getting arrested. So, if you can find an undercover cop that's a man to pretend that he's gonna pick up some women, then by golly find an undercover cop woman and pretend that she's a prostitute so men can pick her up. And if you can't find one, I know some people that would volunteer to do it. [indistinct chatter] [indistinct radio chatter] [siren wailing] [Jan] Twenty years ago, when we were going to overdoses, they were few and far between. Nowadays we have five, six, seven overdoses daily. You can't get in to him? [man] Not in the door. He fell against the door. He fell up against the door. [Jan] Okay. Is he a known user or... [man] Well, this is the second time this week he's OD'd. Third floor. On the left. All the way down. The door is open. [Jan] Okay. Fire department. Yeah. He's up against the door. Hey, buddy. [grunting] [Jan] Hey, buddy. Shit. I'll try to rock him forward so you can scoot in here enough. He's way up against the door, and he's purple. [grunts] Okay. Get his ass out of here. [all grunting] He's a big boy. -[paramedic 1] There's a different one? -[man] Yeah. You're on second floor. -[paramedic 2] What's his name? -[Cody gasps] [air hissing] [sighs] [paramedic 2] I didn't see anybody else. All right, we're good. -[paramedic 1] Well... -He's got a good, strong pulse. -Whoo! There we go. -[paramedic 1] There he is. [paramedic 2] Hey! It's all right, Cod. [paramedic 1] That'll wake you up in the morning. [paramedic 2] Stay still, bub. [paramedic 1] What hospital do you want to go to, bud? [Cody] Um... -Cabell, I guess. -[paramedic 2] Cabell. Okay. Cody, have you... -[paramedic 2] Just sit on your butt. -[Cody] Okay. Don't try and stand up yet, just get your bearings. Stay right there. [Jan] Have you ever tried to get clean or anything, honey? [Cody] I'm actually going to (rehab in) Beckley. [Jan] Okay. When do you go? [Cody] Friday. [Jan] You do? Okay, good. Cody, I'm really happy to hear that you're doing that. -That's really good. -[Cody] Yeah. [Jan] That's really good. There's Jocelyn right there. You wanna yell at her? Jocelyn! Jocelyn! Necia, I've been sleeping on the streets. [sighs] You were doing so good. You were doing so good, and you can do that good again. I lost my job and shit and I can't help it. This is the only place I can turn to. What if I call Mitch Webb and see if you can go the Mission tonight? I'm not allowed there no more. What if I call and see if you can get in there tonight? I'm not allowed in there no more. But what if I call and see if you can get in? Yeah, okay. Yeah, right. That's not going to happen. When was the last time you was kicked out? [scoffs] Like a year ago. Oh, that's so old... That's so old news. -Can I have a hug, Necia? -What, honey? -Can I have a hug? -Yeah. [Mitch] Hello? Hey, how are you? It's Necia. [Mitch] Um, so, you can't stay at the Mission long-term. If you want to come in tonight, that would be okay. Now, you would need to come in inside. -[Necia] You're not listening. Listen. -[Mitch continues speaking indistinctly] [Jocelyn] You know I can't do that. [Mitch] I will help you tomorrow. Or we can try to get you into recovery somewhere. -Do you want to go to the Mission or not? -[Jocelyn] Sure. [Necia] All right. We'll be there in a few minutes, Mr. Webb. [Jocelyn] I've made a lot of money out here, just sucking dick and stuff. Doing crazy things and prostituting. So that's what I do. I was 18. I started young. Being an addict, it's hard. Because you can't just do it once and stop. You have to keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. She was clean seven months. She just relapsed, what, uh, three weeks ago? Something like that? -[woman] So we can do this! -Yes! Seven months. -Yes! You got it! You can do it again! -Seven months under her belt. All you got to do is worry about right now. Okay? Then we worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. -[Belinda] Okay. -All right, sassy pants, go on! You got people waiting on you. I love you. I'll talk to you tomorrow. [Necia] Hope is the girl that is... I mean, she'll tell me anything. And she tells me more than I want to know. She's the first girl we got off the streets. I was asking her one time, I said, "So what is so powerful about this heroin?" And she said, "The only way I know to explain it to you is getting high on heroin is what it would be like for you to kiss Jesus." She said, "That's how powerful it is." And I was like, "Well, that's probably pretty daggone powerful." [Jan] When you take an opiate, it attaches to certain receptors in the brain and it basically suppresses your respiratory system and you stop breathing. Naloxone actually knocks the opiate off that receptor so they start breathing again. They wake up immediately. You are the bomb-diggity. I know it. [chuckles] -You're gonna save lives. You know that? -Yeah. [Jan] It's a moral obligation to me. I'm an old medic. I'm a nurse. I'm a firefighter. I'm built to help people. First responders, in general, don't treat those suffering from addiction well. They haven't in the past and we're trying to change that here in Huntington. Well, look-it there. There's my Prince Charming. Here is our naloxone policy. It's the city policy, so use your best judgment whether you need to use it or wait for EMS and just bag. And that's how a policy is written. It says you can. Um, so... [man] So we are under no obligation or requirement to administer it? You are not. You are under obligation to provide BLS, which is basic life support, which is providing rescue breaths. If you get notification that EMS is going to be a while, I'd go ahead and use it. Yeah, so... -There's days when they're all tied up. -There's no contraindications of it? There's no contraindication. -But we're not required to administer it? -Right. One box per truck. There's two doses in there. -So you're the naloxone dealer? -[Jan] I am. Number three goes on Engine Two. And number four goes... just put it in the medic bag. -Okay. -[Jan] Okay. There's plenty. The health department has plenty. So, you know, if you want to use it, feel free to go ahead. -Two boxes of naloxone. -[alarm beeping] New naloxone protocol. Anytime you have a save, let me know immediately. -Put it in the run. -[alarm blaring] Give me the run number, any data that I can use. [woman on radio] Engine Two. Rescue 11, 40-30. [man] Bye-bye. [woman continues speaking indistinctly on radio] [man on radio] Engine One responding. [siren wailing] [Jan] I'm not really sure what a plateau is going to look like. You know, I see this as a country-wide problem that has the potential to bankrupt the country. You know, we conservatively estimated that Cabell County, and we're talking 96,000 people, spent probably about $100 million in health-care costs associated with IV drug use in 2015. That's one small county in one small state. I can't even fathom what it's gonna look like when it plateaus. But I know it will be welcomed. [man on radio] Yes, ma'am, this was an overdose. Um... We're clear. Returning. [woman on radio] Copy one. I understand that you didn't go screen? That's not good. I got a concern for you and that is, what are we going to do with you? What do you mean? Well, what's your plan now that you have a baby? How are you going to do the things you need to do for drug court? I'm trying. Do we need to get Child Protective Services involved in this? -Are you going to need some-- -No. -Are you going to be able to do this? -Yes. Because I don't want to have to send you to prison... -Yeah, I know. No. -...because you haven't planned this out. Oh, my goodness, I love it. Kelly has a business card! -Is that the coolest thing ever? -[all applauding] "Kelly J. Stickler, recovery coach." -I am so proud of you. -Thank you. Najah, you want to come on up? So, today a special day? Five months clean. Five months clean! -[cheering] -[all applauding] When's the last time you had five months clean time? Three years ago. [Patricia] Three years ago. I'm really, really proud of you. You're doing wonderful things in the program. I'm trying. Would you like some food? Would you like some food? [woman] Sure! [grunts softly] [Necia] We're the Brown Bag Ministry. Have we met before? -[woman] I don't think so. Okay. -Okay. We're the Brown Bag Ministry. We usually come out one night a week, Wednesday nights. -We just give you some food. -[woman] Thank you. [Najah] That's why I like to do this with Necia because I have been out here, walking the streets before. If I ever get the stupid idea that I think I might want to use... 'Cause an addict's brain tells you, "Just do it one time, just one time. It won't hurt. Nobody will know." But that never works. One time will lead me right back to walking the streets. And, also, I've seen girls out here that I have used with and been out here with, that they see me clean now and see that it's possible. So, it helps me and it hopefully can help somebody else. And I love Necia. -[chuckles] -[Necia chuckles] Yeah. -Yep. -[Najah] That is a girl. -Well, that sure is. -Yeah. Would you like some food? You want food? You want some brown bag? Do you need a hygiene bag? [woman] No, I'm sure. [Necia] Uh, one of the purple bags? There's our card. But I just couldn't imagine... I really just could not imagine myself being out here like I used to be. I'm just so totally in a different frame of mind and just like... I just can't imagine it. I don't know how I ever did it. [siren wailing] [horn blaring] [woman on radio] Copy, Engine Four. 432 West 18th Street at Sheetz. Caller said the female is actually laying on their counter at the checkout. [man] Jesus! She is breathing but not responding at all. [sirens blaring] [horn blaring] [man] Sheetz. Command to dispatch. [woman] Go ahead, Command. Advise EMS. The patient is unconscious. Does she have any fresh tracks or anything there? [automated voice] Five, four, three, two, one. -[machine beeps] -Injection complete. [man 1] She was collapsed on the counter. [man 2] All right. She has a strong pulse. Eyes are pinpointed. Don't have any information. She's got white powder in her nose. [man 3] Oh, there she comes. Hi, how are you? [man 4] All right. Let's continue to go. [woman on radio] Dispatch Rescue 11. 6th Street for an overdose. 6th Street for an overdose. [man 2] Doesn't shock me anymore. [man 1] Yeah, not anymore. [woman on radio] Go ahead, Command. Yes, ma'am. We assisted EMS. They're going to be transporting to Cabell. Engine Four is terminating command. Return to quarters. [Jan] Twenty-two years ago when I started my career, it was probably ten years before I saw a large number of deaths. And now the kids that are starting today are seeing 30, 40 dead bodies in a year. And they're not just dead bodies, they're young people. [indistinct radio chatter] All right, let's go tell more stories. [Jan] I don't know what that's doing to them psychologically. It bothers me. It's okay for me to see that number of dead bodies. I'm an older lady at the end of my career. It's got to affect them. [man 1] So, two months, 27. 27 overdoses. [chuckles] [man 2] That's just us? That's just me... my calls. [Ray] The guy went down first. She gets in his leather coat, takes Narcan and pops him with it. He's back. Now she's down. He's still messed up and don't know where his Narcan is because she used it on him and brought him back with it. I think you get calloused about a lot of things. You know, besides the job. You get a lot of callous about life in general. In police departments, I think policemen have always had that. They've always... Because all they see is the bad. Fire departments around here have turned that trend. All you see is the bad. All the time. It's constant. Bad. Bad. Bad. You get a bad attitude, at least about life in general. And then you drink. [Scott] Non-fatal overdoses in the city of Huntington rose quite considerably. Geez. [Scott] If you remember, in August, we had 28 overdoses in one day. I always talk about the shift from pills to heroin and how that shift occurred. Starting in about August of last year, we may have seen another shift. Where we've moved from heroin and fentanyl to stuff that's even more stronger, to the carfentanyl. That's why you're seeing that. From noon till midnight, that's when you see your greatest spike of overdoses. Actually, I want to point out that these figures could be a lot worse than they are, especially the deaths, if it hadn't been for this health department and them supplying the first responders with naloxone. We have over 100 saves on the Huntington Fire Department alone. [man] A lot of people believe in town that by having naloxone more available, that it's just empowering the addicts. How do you respond to that? I've heard that so many times. 'Cause I encourage my students to come down here and get qualified on naloxone, but some people aren't exactly sure if it's helping. I certainly don't think that naloxone itself is enabling by any stretch of the manner. Because a lot of them get mad because you've thrown them into withdrawals and now they gotta go get another hit, you know, to not be dope sick. The only qualification for getting into long-term recovery is you have to be alive. And I don't care if I save somebody 50 times. That's 50 chances to get into long-term recovery. People do go into long-term recovery and they do become productive citizens, tax-paying citizens, and they are going to, in turn, help more and more people suffering from addiction. So, I truly believe that, you know, even though we have this doom and gloom, -thank you, Debbie Downer... -[audience chuckling] But I think that we certainly need to focus on the successes that we as a community have had. [Mickey] Last time Jan brought me back, this shit ain't heroin no more. It's fentanyl and elephant tranquilizer. In the past month, theres been ten people that I know of die. And for some damn reason, Im still sitting here. [Jan squeals] -So you all meet here and then go on over? -Yeah. We meet here every Saturday morning. Then we go over the wall right there, and walk the riverbank... -Okay. -...and hand out supplies to all of them. [Mickey] I was born into this. Hell, I've been getting high since I was ten years old. I didn't get sober for my kids. I didn't get sober for my wife. The pain and the misery got so bad. You got a loaded needle laying beside your bed so you don't wake up too sick. To pull up a shot of dope. [stammers] That's not a way to live. [man] Wrest yourself out of there. They've got chili and hot ham biscuits up there on the top. [indistinct chatter] [Mickey] There's where I used to live. -[Jan] What, honey? -Here's where I used to live. -This is where you used to live? -Yeah. -[Jan] No shit. -[Mickey] Yep, one of them. This is the last place I lived. I lived all up and down this riverbank. [man] What's up, brother? How you doing? [Jan] We still don't have the numbers yet. [Mickey] That's what the paper was saying. [Jan] For 2016, it's going to be probably around over 80. Deaths? Is that higher than 2015? 2015 was 70 in the county. It's going to be higher. Last year was the first year I haven't been a part of that number. I never thought of it that way! I didn't either until you started talking and I was thinking, "You know what? Since I've lived in Huntington, there hasn't been a year gone by that I haven't been a part of the overdose number." -I didn't think that was possible. -Wow. [laughing] That's a... [Jan] These shoes, they're shiny, but they're so freaking hot on your feet. You couldn't wear them all the time. It would make your feet stink so badly. [groaning] I suck at ties, just so you know. [journalist] Of course you've worked for a very, very long time to reach this point and with quite an exemplary career. Talk a little bit about the experience that's led you to this point. Coming up through the ranks has prepared me for this. And also, probably being the only woman for years has probably helped prepare me for this as well. This is a very personally satisfying profession. I can walk away every day thinking or knowing that I made a difference. [laughing] I'm proud of you. What was the reason why you wanted to come out today? She's the reason I'm sitting here. She saved my life twice in a week. It ain't just a job to her. She cares. The opportunity that we're having today in witnessing the swearing-in of Jan Rader... as chief of the Huntington Fire Department... that history is being made in the city of Huntington, and in the state of West Virginia. [camera clicking] Thank you. [all applauding] [Jan] Even though Huntington is experiencing difficult financial issues, and an unprecedented public health epidemic, working together, I have no doubt that we will emerge better and stronger as a city, and as a community. Today, we stand together, proving that anything is possible. The road may be rough, with many barricades, yet we are all capable of finding the strength within to reach our goals. Thank you all for coming here. [voice breaking] And a special thanks to somebody who completely changed my life more than they will ever know. Mickey. [all applauding] -I love you, Jan. -I love you, too, honey. I love you, too. -I'll always be there for you. -I know. If you can get them to care a quarter of what you do, it would change this city. Absolutely, and that's what we're going to do. That's what we're going to do, buddy. If I can ever help in any way, talk to anybody, -anything I can do to help you... -Okay. -...just let me know. -I'll be calling you. -We'll do it together. [chuckles] -Sounds like a plan. -I love you. -I love you, too, honey. [siren wailing] [woman on radio] Copy, Engine Two. It's 1808 7th Avenue. 1-8-0-8 7th Avenue. Apartment three. 32-year-old male, cardiac arrest due to an overdose. -[Jan] He has a pulse? -[man 1] Yeah. [Jan] Bring him down here. [man 2] I mean, they can give it intravenous if that'll work for now. [automated voice] Five, four, three, two, one. -[machine beeps] -Injection complete. Seek emergency medical attention. This device has been used and should be taken to a physician for proper disposal. [indistinct chatter] He's alive. He came to. We gave him 0.4 milligrams of Narcan. EMS gave him two more milligrams of Narcan, and he came to. This is my community. This is our community, and we will not be defined by this problem. [indistinct chatter] [humming softly] [Patricia] We took a vote in the treatment team and decided at that point that you were going to be discharged from drug court. You have a right, before we just automatically send you back in front of the circuit judge, to have a hearing on our request for the discharge. Do you swear or affirm that any testimony you give in this matter would be the truth? I swear. I would need help, you know, trying to keep myself clean, keep myself on the straight and narrow, to do what I need to do. Being in jail and stuff like that, I just don't see where that necessarily helps the issue of the underlying problem that causes you to be in jail. I understand that people, especially early in the program, it's not... [stammers] out of the realm of possibility for somebody to relapse. I get that. But what I don't get and what I can't tolerate, is having you share these drugs with other participants in the program, who I'm trying to move forward with their lives. So, you don't have an explanation for that? No, I don't. [man] I know my past actions have not shown that I want to be in this program and I am ashamed and embarrassed by them. This is my last chance to get my life right. I do want to be a man my wife can look up to and be proud of. I don't want her to have to worry about me being in and out of jail. But above that, I want to be a man I can be proud of. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and like who I see. -[Patricia] Welcome back to drug court. -Thank you, ma'am. Have a seat back here. We'll process you back out. -[all applauding] -[man] Thank you. Leah, I know that we ran into some issues or some problems with you this week. -It's not been one of your better weeks. -Right. I can't tolerate your lying to your probation officer. And we had those two incidents of you doing that, so I'm going to take you into custody today. This is a really, really exciting day for us. Anytime we can do graduation. Ryan, who'd you bring with you today? Uh, my mom and my girlfriend. Right there. It doesn't seem like you've been here long enough to graduate. It does. [all laughing] [all applauding] [Gary] My life has completely changed. I feel better than I have ever in my life. [voice breaking] I want to thank Judge Keller, Matt and you guys. Um... It's an awesome program. Thank you. [all applauding] [Patricia] Oh! Mmm. Kyle. He just makes me smile. It's hard telling where I'd be, most likely prison. I can't tell you enough how grateful I am of you. You know, coming from the life that I lived, I'd have never thought I'd say this, but I truly believe I made a friend in you for life, a public official. [all laughing] Najah, would you please come on up? [all applauding] I miss you. I need to see you. [speaking indistinctly] [indistinct chatter] [Patricia sighs] Thank you. Well, you have a good day. I will. I-- You're gonna poke me with that thing. Here. I'll even turn it off. -[chuckles] -All right. Have a good day. I do. I always hug her that way. ...what a success story she is and how proud you all are of her. Uh, Najah is somebody that we have known. She's always been one to reach out and help others, and it's just amazing to watch her grow. We were able to secure a grant to start this program, -uh, for three years... -[indistinct radio chatter] ...and so we're hoping that we get to continue that. -I gotta go. -Okay. [Jan] Got an overdose. Sorry, Andrew. [siren wailing] -[indistinct radio chatter] -It's a long haul. [woman on radio] ...54-year-old male. Sending cardiac arrest. |
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