When the pandemic hit, Diana Fairchild dialed rehab facilities and clinics over and over and over — any place she could think of that might have an open bed for her son. She was desperate to get Vincent into a facility to help manage his opioid addiction. But everything had slowed down with the onset of COVID-19, and it was increasingly difficult to find him a bed and proper care.
Over the years, she’d become accustomed to the process of trying to get her son inpatient care and knew to call every morning to check for an open bed. But it was never easy to find that spot. Sometimes knowing he was safe at a facility was the only time her head could hit the pillow at night.
Fairchild, a teacher from Brookfield, ultimately lost her 37-year-old son to a fatal overdose in June 2020.
While state officials and detox centers say they have an adequate number of detox beds to provide medical assistance for patients withdrawing from substances, people like Fairchild, who have tried to procure the beds in recent years said they often find the process difficult.
A substance detoxification is generally the first phase in a long series of steps on a person’s recovery journey, but not everyone with substance use disorder needs this step before starting treatment.
The state has 180 detox beds, with another 50 at two other locations in New Haven and Stonington that are not state-funded, according to Arthur Mongillo, spokesman for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or DMHAS.
“We believe there are an adequate number of withdrawal management beds in the system. DMHAS continues to monitor utilization and need,” Mongillo said in an email.
Two facilities with detox beds were reached for comment and said they felt they had adequate beds to treat demand.
But some residents disagreed.
A precious commodity in high demand
Awful. A nightmare. Frustrating. Rare. That’s how people described the process of trying to find a bed.
“The amount of fatal overdoses versus the availability for a detox bed is absurd,” said Becky Zigmund, 39, who has been in recovery for 2 1/2 years and works as a recovery support specialist at the Wheeler Clinic in New Britain.
Having tried to find detox bed several times for herself in the past, she’s familiar with the frustration.
Generally, DMHAS and treatment facilities recommend people call 211 or the state Access Line, which can help locate a bed.
According to Mongillo, detox programs are supposed to update vacancies at least once per shift and residential treatment and recovery houses are to update daily by noon.
But those who have tried calling the line said this resource does not always reflect the true number of beds because they fill quickly as the day goes on.
Generally, they had better luck calling facilities directly, over and over again, until a spot opened up. Sometimes it took several hours, and other times, days. And when a spot was open, there wasn’t a guarantee that they’d be able to secure it. The bed could be located anywhere in the state, and a long drive could mean the bed might be gone before their arrival.
The Access Line did 560 detox screenings with callers, and received 3,167 calls total in May, which was relatively consistent with other monthly data, according to Mongillo.
A private facility can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and some don’t take insurance.
New Milford resident Tony Morrissey frequently helps people struggling with substance use disorder find resources and said his miss rate on finding a detox bed is about 98 percent.
“There’s never a bed available. Ever, ever, ever,” he said of calling the Access Line and the listed facilities. Morrissey called this a “big, big void.”
Between January and April of 2021, there have been 470 drug overdose deaths in Connecticut, according to the state overdose death dashboard. For 2020, the total number was 1,373, with the majority caused by opioids.
“What about the ones that didn’t die?” Morrissey asked.
Morrissey and his wife, Tracey, founded the organization now called Brian Cody’s Brothers & Sisters Foundation after their 20-year-old son Brian Cody Waldron overdosed in 2019. They are hoping to receive confirmation of the 501c3 nonprofit status in late July. Their organization has a website and resources to help navigate the treatment and recovery process.
Advocates, patients often must find their own way
On average, Morrissey said he gets about six to 10 calls per month from those seeking help, and estimates they have assisted roughly 50 to 75 people, whether that meant finding a detox bed, a sober house or just providing guidance.
“Sometimes that interval is like three days. It takes a while,” he said of finding open detox beds.
Yet, in addiction recovery care, advocates and parents say time is critical.
Morrissey explained that an addict’s willingness to start the recovery process is unpredictable and could change on a dime.
“Every moment that person is asked to kind of figure it out until a bed opens, it's an opportunity for that person to get a bag with fentanyl in it and kill themselves,” Morrissey said.
When he isn’t able to find a bed, their next step is keeping the person at a “safe harbor” while they wait. That could be someone’s couch, or a first-step transitional living home like Redemption House in New Haven, which closed its doors this month.
Because of his frustration with the system, Morrissey also developed his own network to effectively secure beds.
“Why does this continue to be a problem? Why are we not funding more detox beds?” Morrissey asked.
Some try to go through the painful detox process at home, and while some are successful, others said they needed medical assistance and oversight to manage intense withdrawal symptoms.
“When I was ready to go, they either didn’t have beds available, or I was denied because of my insurance,” said Zigmund, who struggled with opioid addiction for several years following a surgical procedure before trying to get help around 2012 or 2013. That was when she said she started looking for a detox facility.
Her search was so discouraging that she stopped trying to get help for several years and tried to detox at home.
The difficulty of finding a detox or inpatient bed is a state and nationwide problem, said Surita Rao, an associate professor and director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program at the UConn School of Medicine. Overall, in comparison to other states, Connecticut has done well with its addiction programming, she added.
Rao said detox might not always be the best course of action for someone struggling with opioid use disorder, since most historical studies point toward the use of agonist therapies, like methadone and buprenorphine, as the best method to achieve lasting recovery.
Detox facilities manage demand and direct clients to resources
Those working at the facilities said they have been able to meet and manage demand and point people to resources when they can’t immediately place them.
At the Midwestern Connecticut Council of Alcoholism, a residential detox facility in Danbury, the 14 detox beds are almost always full, according to an official who did not wish to be identified.
The facility known as MCCA gets roughly 10 to 15 clients calling each day for a spot. The employee said when they get inquiries, they try to place the client in a bed within 48 hours, but also point them to the Access Line in case there is another bed available elsewhere.
Aneta Godlewski, director of addiction recovery services at InterCommunity Health Care, said that demand for its detox beds has been unpredictable since the pandemic, which she thinks could be due to people staying away from the facility out of a fear they might contract the virus. Sometimes the center is a full, other times the phone doesn’t ring.
Pre-pandemic, the census was generally much higher, she said.
Overall, the center gets about 50 calls per day from hospitals, people looking for information, and potential patients. When facility can’t offer patients a bed, Godlewski said staff tell callers to try again in a few hours or the next day.
Continuum of recovery care
The opioid epidemic has changed the face of addiction. That much is clear to families who never thought it would affect them.
The statistics are clear. From 1999 to 2019, drug overdose deaths quadrupled in the U.S., with 70 percent of the deaths in 2019 involving opioids.
Fairchild’s son Vincent was smart and educated, she said. He graduated from the Canterbury School in New Milford and from Springfield College with a degree in criminal justice. Fairchild said he was easy going and sweet. He had a very big heart and a wonderful group of friends, she said.
“Now that the face of the addict has changed so much, they’re not prepared for it. They’re just not prepared for these adults, young adults, who come in,” Fairchild said.
Parents and advocates said that the continuum of care needs reform to include more comprehensive programming, mental health counseling, as well as family-oriented treatment options and compassionate care. They said that what happens after detox is just as important.
Fairchild said she used to think people with addiction didn’t have a reason not to get help. But after trying to find help for Vincent, she has seen the other side of things.
“I never realized what a lie that was until this whole thing happened,” she said. “The system is so flawed. I wouldn’t have believed it, honest to God, unless I went through it.”
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