An Island in Crisis

Media Contact:

Kerry Gillick-Goldberg for the EGC Group

kerry.gillick.goldberg@gmail.com

M: 516.455.3179

AN ISLAND IN CRISIS

Fentanyl use introduces a deadlier phase of the opioid epidemic

(Farmingville, NY – December 17, 2018) With 2018 coming to an end, Victory Recovery Partners, Long Island’s newest specialized center for the recovery of opioid use disorder, located in Farmingville, tackles an island in crisis.

“Current numbers of opioid overdoses remain a leading cause of death, not just locally but nationwide,” said Dr. Paolo Coppola, co-founder of Victory Recovery Partners. “The increased use of fentanyl, a synthetic drug employed as an anesthetic before surgery, has added an additional element, whereby one small dosage discrepancy can mean the difference between life or death.”

But recovery is achievable through customized and comprehensive medication-assisted treatment (MAT)combined with behavioral health therapy, all part of the care offered by Victory Recovery Partners.

Still, the newest data shows that where addiction recovery is concerned, the stakes have never been higher.

• Overdoses killed more than 70,000 Americans in 2017. This is unique to the United States and has not been seen to this extent in other developed nations.
• Increases in drug overdose deaths have contributed to reductions in the life expectancy of Americans. At birth, life expectancy has decreased by four months.
• Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for adults under the age of 55.
• As opioid prescriptions continue to fall, death rates from synthetic drug overdoses are on the rise.
• Fentanyl, a class of synthetic opioids that can be made quite inexpensively, has replaced heroin in many communities along the East Coast.
• Use of fentanyl has introduced a deadlier phase of the opioid epidemic, since small errors in measurement during production can lead to overdose. Additionally, blends of synthetic opioids aren’t consistent, thus causing drug users to underestimate its strength.
• Fentanyl deaths were up 45 percent in 2017.

Studies show that customized medication-assisted treatment, administered by trained medical professionals, is the preferred therapy for opioid addiction.

“Overcoming substance abuse is an enormous struggle, and treatment should be individualized to each person’s recovery,” Coppola said. “That’s why our medical team provides patient-centered and evidenced-based practices to help people on their path to recovery.”

For more information regarding Victory Recovery Partners, or to speak with Dr. Paolo Coppola, please reach out to kerry.gillick.goldberg@gmail.com for the EGC Group.

ABOUT VICTORY RECOVERY PARTNERS

Victory Recovery Partners’ staff is experienced in emergency-medicine, addiction-medicine, and psychiatric therapy. VRP provides convenient, high-quality medical care for substance use disorder patients. VRP specializes in the use of medication-assisted treatment for addiction using FDA approved medications such as Buprenorphine and Vivitrol®, combined with behavioral health therapy. Learn more by clicking here.

ABOUT PAOLO COPPOLA, M.D., FACEP – CO-FOUNDER, CEO, MEDICAL STAFF

Dr. Coppola has years of experience providing medication-assisted treatment to patients suffering from opioid use disorders. Prior to co-founding Victory Recovery Partners, Dr. Coppola was the president of STAT Health, a chain of successful urgent care centers he established in 2006 that provided walk-in medical care throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties, and treats more than 250,000 patients annually. Prior to forming STAT Health, Dr. Coppola was the director of the Emergency Department at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. Dr. Coppola graduated from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and performed his residency in the emergency department of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He received an undergraduate degree in engineering from The Cooper Union.