Documentary Details Struggle with Opioids in Arkansas
| A documentary dealing with the deadly problem of opioid addiction, and what some are doing to overcome it, premieres Oct. 13 at the 30th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The film features a pair of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) physicians who are all too familiar with the hazards that opioids pose to the state.
“7 Days: The Opioids Crisis in Arkansas” was shot, edited and directed by Arkansas filmmaker Nathan Willis, who was commissioned by Arkansas PBS in partnership with the state Department of Education to produce a film that shines a spotlight on the state’s devastating opioid problem. The film will be available online beginning Oct. 14.
“7 Days: The Opioids Crisis in Arkansas,” a documentary dealing with the deadly problem of opioid addiction, and what some are doing to overcome it, premieres Oct. 13 at the 30th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
In 2020, 547 Arkansans died from drug overdoses, an increase of 195 from the previous year, according to Kirk Lane, Arkansas’ drug director.
“I didn’t know much about opioids before this project,” admits Willis. He traveled the state in June 2021 to meet with a number of people affected by the crisis, including “people in recovery, people who lost loved ones, a wide variety of people impacted by the opioid epidemic.”
Johnathan Goree, M.D., director of UAMS’ Chronic Pain Division, and Michael Mancino, M.D., the program director of UAMS’ Center for Addiction Services and Treatment, were among those interviewed by Willis for the documentary. Goree is credited with inspiring the film’s title, said Willis, who cited a UAMS study dealing with the probability of addiction by opioid users.
“Dr. Goree said that someone who is given opioids for seven days has a 1 in 10 chance of being on opioids in a year,” said Willis. “There’s a good chance that you could become addicted to them if you don’t use them correctly.”
“My part in the documentary was to discuss from a physician and researcher’s perspective how the opioid epidemic has affected patients, how it has affected chronic pain therapy, and how physicians are working to continue to provide high quality chronic pain care without putting patients at risk,” said Goree. “It is important because I believe that it will shine a light on an issue that we have currently put on the back burner.
“Prior to COVID-19, opioid abuse and over prescription was public health issue No. 1. Now, rightfully so, we have united to fight this terrible virus. Unfortunately, I have some fears that we may have taken a step back during the past two years. COVID has changed access to care, increased prescribing, and isolated individuals who are dealing with multiple challenges, including the death of friends and family.”
Goree, Mancino and Lane are scheduled to take part in a panel discussion on Oct. 22 entitled “Arkansas Week: The Opioid Crisis in Arkansas” that will air at 7:30 p.m. on Arkansas PBS. The documentary will air on Arkansas PBS on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. and will be shown in public schools throughout the state during Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 23-31.
“The reality of the situation is what we need to address — that this problem can affect anyone,” said Mancino. “The purpose of this film is to educate people, and that’s why I think the title is so appropriate.”
“Dr. Goree and Dr. Mancino were very important to this project, they showed how we got where we are with opioids in Arkansas,” said Willis. “It doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, the disease of addiction affects everyone.
“It was an eye opener for me. I hope it’s an eye opener for everyone who watches it.”