"Dr. Elyse Stevens had a reputation for taking on complex medical cases, including people who'd been battling addiction for decades. Some were chronic-pain patients on high doses of opioids; others were sex workers and people living on the street. "Many of my patients are messy, the ones that don't know if they want to stop using drugs or not," said Stevens, a primary care and addiction medicine doctor."
"One such evening about four years ago, Charmyra Harrell arrived there limping, her right leg swollen and covered in sores. Emergency room doctors had repeatedly dismissed her, so Harrell said she eased the pain with street drugs. Stevens cleaned her sores on Mondays for months until finally persuading Harrell to visit the clinic at University Medical Center New Orleans. There, Stevens discovered Harrell had diabetes and cancer."
"She agreed to prescribe Harrell pain medication an option many doctors would automatically dismiss for fear that a patient with a history of addiction would misuse it. But Stevens was confident Harrell could hold up her end of the deal. "She told me, 'You cannot do drugs and do your pain meds,'" Harrell recounted on a Monday evening in October. So, "I'm no longer on cocaine.""
Dr. Elyse Stevens provided primary care and addiction medicine to patients often avoided by other clinicians, including chronic-pain patients on high opioid doses, sex workers, and people living on the street. She regularly conducted outreach at breakfasts for homeless people, a shelter clinic, and a distribution site for people who use drugs. Stevens treated infections, persuaded patients to seek hospital care, and prescribed pain medication when clinically appropriate while maintaining monitoring and expectations. Progress was measured on a spectrum through daily functioning and reduced drug use. Her approach led to improved patient engagement, recovery steps, and professional recognition.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]