Heroes Of The Addiction Crisis: How Shannon Weir of Gallus Medical Detox Centers Is Helping To Battle One of Our Most Serious Epidemics
Embrace failure and celebrate success — recovery from SUD is not often a one-and-done experience. It’s not like taking a pill and the infection goes away. There are a lot of difficult, heartbreaking moments, and just as many moments of absolute joy and happiness. These are the things that teach us and make us wiser.
As a part of our series about “Heroes Of The Addiction Crisis” I had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon Weir.
Shannon Weir, RN is the Director of Clinical Education and Quality Assurance at Gallus Medical Detox Centers. A Registered Nurse for 30 years, Shannon’s experience ranges from critical care to flight nursing, medical detox, sexual assault exams, and SWAT nursing. Shannon has been with Gallus Medical Detox Centers since 2010.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit of your backstory?
I became a Registered Nurse 30 years ago and spent almost 20 of those years in critical care and emergency medicine. It was during my first experience working in medical detox in Utah where I fell in love with addiction medicine and realized this was where I wanted to practice nursing. After learning that Dr. Patrick Gallus, Founder of Gallus Medical Detox Centers, was planning to open a facility in Arizona, I jumped on board and have been with the company ever since.
Is there a particular story or incident that inspired you to get involved in your work with opioid and drug addiction?
I have personally witnessed the detrimental impact of substance use disorder (SUD) through the struggles of some of my loved ones. And I’ve seen how addiction not only impacts the person but their family and friends as well. I wanted to use my medical background in a way that I could help people and make a difference in this space.
Can you explain what brought us to this place? Where did this epidemic come from?
The issue of addiction is a multi-faceted problem and includes our culture, our medical community and how we perceive and approach those who are suffering from addiction. Culturally, we are a society of quick fixes and sadly, we know today that prescription opioid manufacturers capitalized on this approach without being transparent on the dangers associated with these drugs. This is compounded by the fact that physicians and medical personnel aren’t properly trained on the dangers of addictive medications, how to prescribe them and subsequently how to help a patient come off of these substances, whether obtained legally or not.
The other issue here is our approach to those dependent on drugs and alcohol. While we have made strides within the medical community and reduced opioid prescriptions, we need to do better at helping those who are struggling with SUD find solutions and resources to help them overcome their addiction.
Also, the last year and a half have certainly exacerbated the substance use crisis. Lockdowns, social distancing and financial uncertainty all grew during the pandemic. Many people lacked access to mental health treatment or resources to deal with the stress and anxiety that came with the pandemic, and as a result many self-medicated, whether that was with opioids, anxiety medications, or alcohol.
Can you describe how your work is making an impact battling this epidemic?
At Gallus, we are focusing on helping people who have an SUD get the help they need to recover. We firmly believe that this starts for many with inpatient medical detox that provides the patient with safe, comfortable, and effective treatment. We know that the physical and mental discomfort associated with detox can be a significant deterrent to someone starting their recovery journey. We also know that a proven medical first step provides the strongest foundation for long-term recovery. Once a patient undergoes inpatient medical detox, they are more stable and can transition into aftercare as they are stronger both physically and mentally. By treating the first step in the SUD recovery process as a medical issue, using evidence based, advanced medical protocols to safely get even the sickest person off their substance(s), we can help patients lead the healthy, fulfilling life they deserve.
Wow! Without sharing real names, can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by your initiative?
A patient’s privacy is just as important to us as their safety so rather than share a particular story, I can say that every individual that comes to our centers is a real person, with family and friends who love them. These are people with homes, careers, children and spouses. They are teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, first responders and essential workers. They are people who never intended for life to take this turn and yet they are at a place where they know they can’t beat this disease alone. They are some of the strongest individuals I have come to know and I take great pride in knowing that in some way, I am helping them get back to that place where they are happy and healthy.
Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?
I am so proud to say that at Gallus, we give patients an inpatient medical detox experience that addresses the barriers to recovery, including the fear of pain, discomfort, and precipitated withdrawal, as well as starting them with a solid foundation of their recovery journey. We also address the mental component to detox as much as the physical one. Our patient research shows a clinically and statistically significant decrease in depression, an average drop of 5.88 points, during inpatient medical detox treatment as measured using the PHQ-9. This is a major reason that our Next Step Aftercare program results in an 85% rate of patients going to aftercare compared to hospital detox outcomes, with an aftercare rate of only 15%.
I am also proud of how Gallus is addressing new, alarming trends around substance use disorders. Earlier this year, Gallus launched an expansion of the Gallus Benzodiazepine Taper Program, which expands patient recovery support to include virtual services, such as telehealth visits for medication management and therapy sessions, that coordinate with aftercare providers to improve access and facilitate recovery.
We’re also taking a more aggressive approach to answering the fentanyl crisis through our new accelerated micro induction (AMI) protocol. Used for opioid use disorder (OUD) with fentanyl, this ground breaking and innovative approach to inpatient medical detox has been shown to significantly lower Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale score (COWS), an 11-item scale designed to help clinicians determine the severity of opiate withdrawal, by 40%, successfully addressing the primary reason for not seeking SUD treatment — fear of opioid withdrawal pain and symptoms.
These advancements will have a significant impact on patient care, which will ultimately increase their chances of long-term recovery. And as a provider in this space for over a decade, I know that this is what every patient wants for their life.
Can you share three things that the community and society can do to help you address the root of this problem? Can you give some examples?
We have to remove the stigma around SUD and let people know that there is no shame in getting help for addiction. Some of the most intelligent, creative and loving people I have been blessed to know have suffered from SUD. These are contributing members of society. So we have to stop treating this epidemic as a moral failing or personality defect and recognize that this is a disease worth fighting.
We also need to shift our thinking from criminalizing SUD to approaching it as a disease that can be treated and considering employing someone with a history of substance use who was once incarcerated for it. Again, these are individuals who have so much to give back to our society if they are just given a chance to recover.
My last thought is to focus on teaching our children coping and communication skills, and allowing them to be open about their trauma instead of ignoring it and expecting people to deal with trauma on their own.
If you had the power to influence legislation, which three laws would you like to see introduced that might help you in your work?
- Insurance companies should be required to provide reasonable (same as hospital care) reimbursement for inpatient medical detox and treatment. The medical component of SUD recovery is generally overlooked as an important component of treatment success.
- Again, instead of criminalizing substance abuse, offer treatment vs. incarceration. The money spent jailing those with SUD would be more impactful, both from an individual and community-wide standpoint, if it were used to pay for proven treatment approaches.
- As part of medical school education and residency, physicians should have a mandatory addiction training and spend time caring for people with SUD. They should know how to recognize dependance, the dangers and likelihood of dependence on substances such as opioids and benzodiazepines and know how to help their patients avoid becoming dependent and/or the kind of care needed to overcome the addiction.
I know that this is not easy work. What keeps you going?
Seeing patients transition to aftercare and then hearing from former patients who have regained control of their lives and are living happy, fulfilling ones.
Do you have hope that one day this leading cause of death can be defeated?
I don’t know that it will ever be completely eradicated, but I think we can impact it, reduce fatalities from it and offer people treatment that works, while supporting people who do suffer from SUD in getting the help they need to recover.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
What I respect and admire from the people I love or have cared for who have a SUD, I would define as leadership — because to me, leadership is putting in the hard work, thinking outside the box, talking about things that are uncomfortable or unpopular. A leader is someone who is not afraid to get the conversation started, and then is willing to follow through, make mistakes, fail and get back up and keep trying again until it works. It’s someone who can motivate others to do the same. Leadership like this is what changes the world.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Embrace failure and celebrate success — recovery from SUD is not often a one-and-done experience. It’s not like taking a pill and the infection goes away. There are a lot of difficult, heartbreaking moments, and just as many moments of absolute joy and happiness. These are the things that teach us and make us wiser.
- Don’t be satisfied with good enough — we have always done a great job with opiate withdrawal in our detox. With the rise in Fentanyl use, we recognized an opportunity to improve the protocol to be even more effective for this group of patients. We decided there had to be a better way to help people detox from Fentanyl in a more comfortable manner, and we kept researching and trying until we came up with something better. There is always room for improvement if you are willing to look hard enough for it and aren’t afraid to fail.
- You will become very adept at addressing the hard conversations — I didn’t know how to have hard conversations when I first came into this field. But the needs of my patients taught me how to just put things out there and make it safe for them to do the same. These hard conversations are what can sometimes make the difference between life and death. Now I’m not afraid to talk about anything.
- The rewards are indescribable — I knew when I started working at Gallus that I would be helping people recover from their addiction, but I didn’t realize how profound and rewarding this work would be. While detox is one part of this complicated puzzle, the joy I feel every time a patient leaves here to start on the next part of their journey is more rewarding than I can ever describe.
- Be prepared to cry — unfortunately not everyone is going to win their battle with SUD. Every time that happens, it is painful.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It’s hard for me to think of myself as an inspiring person. What I do every day is my job but it’s also my passion. And this passion stems from knowing that the people in my care are good people who, as I’ve said before, have so much to give to this world. So if I could inspire a movement, it would be to see the good in people. Because what you would get in return is so much greater than you’d ever realize.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have seen patients come in here and live this. They don’t give up and this is so relevant to the work I do, as their drive inspires me personally and professionally.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’d love to sit down with musician Eric Clapton. Not only is he one of my favorite musicians, but he has been so courageously open about his struggles with addiction and continues to help others who are battling SUD.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Medical Detox Centers for Drugs and Alcohol Addiction: Gallus Detox
IG: @gallusdetoxcenters
FB: Gallus Medical Detox Centers | Facebook
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
Heroes Of The Addiction Crisis: How Shannon Weir of Gallus Medical Detox Centers Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.