Opioid Epidemic Cost Virginian’s Three And A Half Billion Dollars In 2020.

VDH’s online calculator shows the three and a half billion dollar economic impact to Virginia in lost labor, healthcare, crime and other costs in 2020, with an average of more than four people dying of an opioid drug overdose every day in the Commonwealth. The opioid cost calculator was developed by Virginia Commonwealth University, in hopes of helping support ongoing policy changes at the state and local levels.

Virginia families and businesses take on a large amount of these costs, mostly due to lost future worker productivity, according to the cost calculator. Federal, state, and local governments also see increased healthcare and government costs and lost future tax revenues.  But by far, the human toll is the highest. Deaths from opioid drug overdose are estimated at nearly $1.9 billion. In calculating the economic costs of loss of life, it’s important to remember that these estimates do not include the value of lives lost, which are measureless. 

For a closer look at how the epidemic hits here at home, visit the website. In the meantime, consider that Henry County and Martinsville rank among the localities with the largest impact per capita in the Commonwealth, and the highest overall of the regions served by the West Piedmont Health District (Henry County, Martinsville, Franklin County, and Patrick County).

What do mild, moderate and severe COVID symptoms mean? Many of these terms are subjective and can vary depending on the person. But providers consider severe COVID symptoms to be those requiring acute medical care or hospitalization.

“Moderate COVID symptoms often require the infected person to need more extensive rest, or they have more robust coughing, nasal congestion, fever, vomiting and diarrhea, but they can be cared for at home,” Priya Duggal, an epidemiologist from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said. “Mild symptoms usually don't incapacitate the person, and although they are isolating, they have the energy and minimal symptoms to read, watch television or do remote work.”

Because COVID is an illness mainly targeting the respiratory system, one thing to be aware of is any changes to a person's breathing, which should raise a red flag.

“What we have said from the beginning is that you should be checking your oxygen levels (via [a] pulse ox) at home — and if those numbers are not near the high 90s, reach out to your doctor,” Duggal said. It's “the best way to determine how severe your symptoms are.”

According to the CDC, an adult or child should have oxygen levels between 95 and 100 percent. A health-care provider should be called if those numbers fall below that, based on a reading by a pulse oximeter, a device that measures the oxygen saturation of the blood. - Washington Post

Addressing and Managing Unconscious Bias

To better understand what unconscious bias is (also called implicit bias), it helps to have a basic understanding of the general concept of bias. Bias is a preference for or against something, someone, or group. Having biases isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Problems occur when a bias affects someone in a positive or negative way and creates an unfair advantage or disadvantage.

Unconscious bias can have a significant influence on any workplace decision — including hiring, recruiting, promotions, performance reviews, and discipline. Unconscious bias can also affect interactions with people outside of the organization, such as customers, vendors, partners, and association members. There are many different types of biases — based on a wide range of characteristics and assumptions — and all of them can result in poor decisions or discriminatory behavior. For example, dismissing a qualified candidate because they aren’t a good ‘cultural fit’ or have a ‘foreign sounding name.’

Increasing awareness and understanding of unconscious bias is an ongoing process. Monitor hiring policies and promotion criteria and include a diverse team to weigh in on key decisions to reduce the risk of implicit bias. Have a system for anonymously reporting incidents and conduct regular surveys to uncover unconscious bias. Also, regular discussions and conversations between different groups and departments, promoting mentoring and support, and creating a sense of belonging can also help reduce unconscious bias and its impact on workplace culture.

~Pamela Chitwood, Population Health Community Coordinator, Pamela.chitwood@vdh.virginia.gov 540-484-0292 ext. 223