211 AND PERCS LIKE CANDY

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - It began with sacred songs, drumming and dancers.  Executive Director Kristie Lamirande would later tell Cortes Currents that while many healing centres have Indigenous spiritual components, as far as she knows none of them possess the 50/50 blend of Indigenous and Western healing methodology that the new Tsakwa’luten Healing Centre will offer. Some will remember this property as the Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge, on the southern tip of Quadra Island. There will be 42 beds for people struggling with addiction. 20 of them should be ready when the Centre opens this Fall. Jennifer Whiteside, the province's Minister for Health and Addictions, MLA Michele Babchuk, Chief Susan Savoy of the K’omoks First Nation and a number of leaders from the health community joined the We Wai Kai First Nation for the dedication on Tuesday July 16, 2024.       

Ronnie Chickite, Chief Councillor of the We Wai Kai Nation addressed the visitors, “I would like to welcome you all to our traditional territory.  It's a great day to be here. The sun is shining for this monumental announcement that the Minister is going to do for us today. We've been working on this over the last year and a half, but this vision has been there a lot longer. It's something we've seen our people go through and not only our people, but people throughout this whole country, let alone BC, but  Indigenous people are definitely struggling the most.”

“We wanted  to create an Indigenous led traditional healing centre. We've seen them work. We believe that the culture based approach, combined with evidence based practices, can heal our people.  The clinical programming that we are looking at as well is going to be combined with 50 percent Western therapies and 50 percent land based therapies.  We are looking to open up in the Fall, hopefully in November.” 

“I'd also like to thank the Ministry of Health and Addictions. Without Minister Whiteside and her team and staff, and also our local MLA, Michelle Babchuk, a lot of this wouldn’t be happening.”

The province is investing $7.86 million towards the renovations and the operations.  

Whiteside explained, “It’s an important part of building a continuum of care in this part of the island, with the detox beds that have just opened now, at the hospital. The relationships that have been built through  this project.”

Lamirande added, “The province has committed to funding  our social beds for the first year. That's 80 percent of our beds. 20 percent of our beds are corporate, private pay beds,  and so year two and beyond, we need to sort that out, but  social beds are covered for the first year.” 

Cortes Currents joined Minister Whiteside, Babchuk and Linda Campbell, the facility’s lead for construction, on a tour of the bedrooms that are already finished. They were discussing the centre’s interactions with other First Nations.

Cortes Currents: What about Klahoose?  

Linda Campbell: “We haven't heard from Klahoose yet. They've been invited today, but I don't know if they're sending anybody over.  Certainly we'll be reaching out to all the nations.  One of the nice things about it is I sit on the primary care network and the Indigenous Advisory.  Klahoose is also a member. I've been bringing them up to speed on where the Healing Centre is at. We will be open shortly, and a lot of nations have been reaching out.”

Chief Ronnie Chickite: “Our goal is to create a safe and wonderful environment for anyone who wants to come here, not just Indigenous people. We want to make this for everybody.”

Cortes Currents

Dedication of the Tsakwa'luten Wellness Centre

Ann Neumann returns to This is Hell! to discuss her Baffler Magazine article, "Pain and Suffering: The extraordinary power of opium products to alleviate pain is complicated by the language." "The Moment of Truth" follows the interview.

Check out Ann's article here: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/pain-and-suffering-neumann

Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell

Demonizing Opioids Has Unintended Consequences / Ann Neumann

Hello, AI enthusiasts! It’s October seventh, twenty twenty-four, and we’ve got a thrilling round-up of the latest developments in the world of Artificial Intelligence. Buckle up!

meta unveils advanced AI video model.
Meta has just announced a powerful new suite of models called Movie Gen aimed at revolutionizing video creation. This new suite features four models, including a thirty billion parameter video generator capable of creating high-definition videos up to sixteen seconds long from written prompts. The audio model included can harmonize with video to add sound effects and music. Meta claims that Movie Gen outperforms other video generators, including OpenAI’s Sora, in terms of video quality. Mark Zuckerberg revealed that this innovative tool will be available on Instagram next year, potentially changing the landscape of content creation.

openAI and altera create digital humans.
In partnership with Altera, OpenAI has released a case study showcasing "digital humans". These AI agents, powered by GPT-four and capable of extended interactions within games like Minecraft, significantly outperformed competitors by collecting twenty-eight times as many items as the next best model. Altera, founded by former MIT professor Dr. Robert Yang, plans to extend their capabilities beyond gaming to develop complex AI "coworkers" for various applications. This could signify a significant leap forward for AI agents in real-world settings.

run llama 3.2 locally on your phone.
Meta's new Llama three point two model can now run right on your smartphone! This means you can enjoy private, offline AI conversations without needing an internet connection. All you need is to download the PocketPal AI app and follow some simple steps to get started. This brings the power of AI straight to your fingertips, making advanced conversations accessible anytime, anywhere.

ai identifies drug candidates for pain relief.
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and IBM have developed an AI model named LISA-CPI, which predicts the interactions of drugs and gut microbes with pain receptors. By analyzing the molecular structures and three-dimensional shapes, LISA-CPI has identified existing FDA-approved medications that could be repurposed for effective, non-addictive pain relief. This innovative approach could accelerate the search for better pain management solutions during these challenging times of the opioid crisis.

five new AI tools & four new AI jobs.
Finally, the AI landscape just got a bit greener with the introduction of five cutting-edge AI tools, including Cheatlayer for automation, and AI job opportunities from Amazon Web Services and Meta. Whether you’re looking to build your own AI-powered sales operating system or searching for a new role in the industry, there’s something for everyone.

That wraps up today’s AI news. Stay tuned and stay informed as the world of Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve! Until next time, keep your eyes—and ears—open for the latest in AI advancements.

Meta Launches Movie Gen: A Quantum Leap in Video Creation While OpenAI and Altera Push Boundaries with Digital Humans

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruias joins WFEA for his monthly 'Mondays with the Mayor' segment. The Mayor discusses the implementation of Manchester's new syringe ordinance and Trump's tariff and immigration policies. 

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais 12-2-24

From 2001-2011, as the prescription opioid crisis spiraled out of control, Kim Harmon, then with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, went undercover to bust pill mills, among other investigations into medical fraud.  

Shortly after she progressed up into a new role, however, her daughter Taylor’s own actual struggles with substance use disorder began to spiral out of control, and suddenly this law enforcement officer, once tasked with imitating people with addiction in order to stop the flow of illicit pills, now had to figure out how she could help her own daughter find recovery. And yet despite all her experience and resources, it was not an easy road.

Taylor’s struggles might sound familiar to many Tennesseans. Despite growing up in a peaceful childhood, a personal tragedy caused a tendency to over-drink into a full blown disorder, closely followed by a problem with benzos, opioids and other so-called hard drugs. Fortunately, however, her story of sobriety should be equally recognizable: she found a strong community of peers in recovery and they helped Taylor find her own path. 

This is a fascinating, far-reaching conversation that touches on many topics. If I had to boil it down, though, I might say the big takeaway is that anybody and everybody is susceptible to addiction, and the most important thing we can do from a policy perspective is to make sure people with substance use disorder have real access to resources that make a difference. 

Hosted and produced by Jeremy Kourvelas. Original music by Blind House.

Learn more:
SMART: smart.tennessee.edu 

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM

From Busting Pill Mills to Battling at Home: An Officer's Daughter Finds Recovery

Overdose Fatality Review, or OFR, is a fairly new and yet already proven strategy for identifying gaps in recovery ecosystems. In other words, you bring together people from healthcare, law enforcement, criminal justice, harm reduction services and more to jointly examine cases of fatal overdoses and find out how these people fell through the cracks.

Lauren Savitskas works for the Institute for Intergovernmental Research on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide technical assistance for the implementation of OFR teams across the country. Trevor Henderson, SMART’s Middle Tennessee Substance Use Response Consultant, joins Lauren as well as Sharena Cathey of the Knox County Health Department and Denise Martin of the Rutherford County Medical Examiner’s Office to provide perspective on how OFR teams have been implemented in Tennessee, showcasing how varied and dynamic this strategy can be.  

In this conversation, we explore why this strategy breaks down data silos, identifies actionable solutions, and leads to long term relationships, including opportunities for further innovation.

Learn more:
OFR Toolkits: www.ofrtools.org
OFR Fact Sheet (LAPPA): https://legislativeanalysis.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/OFR-Fact-Sheet-FINAL-1.pdf 
Model OFR Legislation (LAPPA): https://legislativeanalysis.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/LAPPA-Model-Overdose-Fatality-Review-Teams-Act.pdf 
SMART: www.smart.tennessee.edu 

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM

Finding Opportunities to Save Lives With Overdose Fatality Review Teams

Despite significant changes at the federal and state level, the rate of opioid prescriptions remains startlingly high. The most recent data shows that Tennessee is still hovering around 60 prescriptions for every 100 people in the state.  And again, that’s prescriptions, not pills.  As such, many patients are still facing the same on-ramp to opioid medications that got stuck in the opioid crisis in the first place. 

My guests this month are Brand Newland and Michael Doty of Goldfinch Health, Melissa Armstead of Southern Tennessee Health System, and Kathy Federico of Lifepoint Health. In 2024, Goldfinch received a grant to implement a primary prevention program focused on non-opioid pain treatment in surgical settings, and they partnered with a hospital in Lawrenceburg, TN, located in the rural, south central portion of our state.

The early success of the Billion Pill Pledge in Lawrenceburg genuinely surprised me. I worked in rural emergency departments from 2014-2018, during the rise of fentanyl, and so I know first hand how significant it is to so dramatically reduce visits to the ED for pain control. 

In this conversation, we talk about the program, how it works, how it rolled out in Lawrenceburg, and what the future of non-opioid pain treatment may look like, at both the clinical, the scientific, and the policy levels. 

Learn more:
Goldfinch Health - The Billion Pill Pledge: https://www.goldfinchhealth.com/billion-pill-pledge/ 
Southern Tennessee Regional Health System, Lawrenceburg: https://www.southerntnlawrenceburg.com/ 
Lifepoint Health: https://www.lifepointhealth.net/ 
SMART: www.smart.tennessee.edu/

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM

Changing Healthcare Culture: The Billion Pill Pledge and Non-Opioid Pain Treatment

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The Blue Hat Memorial Project opens at 10 AM this morning, Tuesday, April 14, 2025. Campbell River artist and city councillor Ron Kerr has installed 50,000 flags at Tyee Spit (ʔUxstalis), representing the number of people who have lost their lives through Canada’s ongoing opioid crisis. 

 “What I really want to do is to stimulate conversation about the gaps in men and boy’s healthcare. These deaths are generally fentanyl drug deaths. If you look at the other results of addiction, alcohol addiction, and other kinds of addiction, the numbers are far higher. I don't think the men's health system is doing an adequate job of addressing that,” he explained.”

“ We're trying to do a ‘one size fits all’ and I understand that from a financial economic point of view, but I think we need a  lot more recovery facilities, better access, and second stage housing. We need ‘dry’ housing where they can get their lives together without the daily influence of addictive substances. Unfortunately, supportive housing right now is completely full of people still in their addiction. So if not onto the street, they're right back into that same kind of environment they left. That is a really important part of the picture.”  

“I think we need male specific facilities, so they're not going to go back into a situation where they're not being supported. We've only got one dedicated men's center in the province, where men can actually go and find services, find support, and find programs. It's just not supported.” 

“There's a reluctance to have something that is specifically male orientated, but I think we need men's health clinics where men and boys know that they're going to find people that understand them. Peer supportive groups are probably a lot less expensive, and I think it's more powerful for supportive recovery than all the psychiatrists in the world.” 

Cortes Currents: How did this become the Blue Hat project? 

Ron Kerr: “The problem for me, as an artist, was how to actually convey that number into something that people could feel.  Initially I had the concept  of having  a huge number  of blue hard hats,  because the number of men in trades and throughout a blue collar workforce  have been right from the start overrepresented in the numbers.”

“I thought of using the blue hard hat itself as a symbol, but the problem was that any kind of an installation, or art project, using blue hard hats was very expensive and just logistically hard to do. So it was a challenge and  I had been thinking about that for a year or two.”

“Last summer when I was sitting in my garden recovering from knee surgery, I looked at a project that I'd started in the yard before my operation. I had a number of sprinkler flags marking spots around the garden. I was sitting there watching them blow in the wind, and it just came to me that that was a way of  really signifying the immensity of death.” 




Blue Hat Memorial Project_ 50,000 flags on Tyree Spit

The group of people that are dying of overdoses at the highest rate, by far, are men in their 30s-50s. This group is also statistically less likely than others to ask for help. This is one of the biggest reasons why it can be difficult to implement effective prevention strategies targeting working age men. 

My guest this month is Dr. Monty Burks, Deputy Director of the Tennessee Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, which seeks to empower community resources to tackle the biggest challenges of our time, including overdose, addiction, and recidivism. Monty is also a certified peer recovery specialist with years of experience engaging people with substance use disorder and meeting them where they are, so I could think of no better person with which I wanted to discuss one of the main consequences of these deaths: the impact on their families. 

After all, many of these men were fathers, as are many of those men still in the throes of active addiction. What can we do to reach this surprisingly vulnerable population and help them become the best versions of themselves? 

In this conversation, we talk about the ways that we the people of Tennessee can step up to help, from foster care to peer recovery to even just listening to someone who needs to be heard.

Learn more:
Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative: https://governorsinitiative.org/
SMART: http://www.smart.tennessee.edu/

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM


Fathers Lost in the Overdose Crisis: Prevention, Mentorship, & Rebuilding Families

Cortes Currents is a news platform that asks what's current in Cortes and the Discovery Islands. Web articles & radio podcasts: Cortes Island, Quadra Island, Discovery Islands, Campbell River: news, lifestyle, local politics, affordable housing, economy, food security, health, ferries, tourism, history,  culture, environmental issues, sustainable forestry, oyster farming, the arts, First Nations, energy, climate change, overshoot

New tracks tagged #opioid crisis