Maurice Smith <risingrivermedia@gmail.com> sends in:
I thought it might be time for an update on the Opioid-Fentanyl Documentary that we've been working on for the past several months. We are working to finish up what we're calling "Phase 1: Pre-production." This project has required a great deal more "pre-production" than past documentaries. I've been conducting audio interviews (with more to come) and doing in-depth research into many of the unique aspects involved in this issue. It hasn't been my plan or goal to film people in the throes of their addiction. While such imagery might make for irresistible and emotional "clickbait" (as it did in "Seattle Is Dying" or "Curing Spokane"), I believe it creates a distorted image both of what the opioid-fentanyl issue truly looks like and what the answers moving forward might be. For this reason (and for several other reasons), I want to share our current Production Outline with you so you can better understand where the documentary is going and what we hope to accomplish. We have done over a dozen audio interviews, with more to come (so, yes, there is opportunity for you to get involved). When Phase 1 is complete, Phase 2 will consist of filming the interviews along with related B-roll footage (Phase 3 will be the editing process). We have not yet begun filming, but hope to begin soon, once we complete the audio interview process and the work of fitting those interviews into the most appropriate segment(s). It's very methodical work and we want to get it right.
As always, I value your input and feedback, so don't be shy about reaching out. This is how we work together to build the Shalom of our community, including our homeless friends.
P.S. I'm also attaching a PDF of the Production Outline.
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Every 36 Hours - A Documentary on the Opioid-Fentanyl Crisis in Spokane
Segment 1: “For Whom The Bell Tolls”
John Donne, the 17th Century English poet, scholar, soldier, and Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London, wrote a meditation that has become famous for these words, “No man is an island, entire of itself . . . . any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” In 17th Century England, the tolling of a cathedral bell often signaled the death of someone important enough that the whole Community should know about their passing. Four hundred years later, Joan Baez was inspired by Donne’s words to write a song that declares, No man is an island/ No man stands alone/ Each man's joy is joy to me/ Each man's grief is my own/ We need one another/ So I will defend/ Each man as my brother/ Each man as my friend. Sometime in the next 36 hours, if not sooner, someone somewhere in Spokane will die of an accidental drug overdose, and the chances are 64 out of 100 that it will be from fentanyl. And all of us - throughout our community - will have lost one more friend. But the bell won’t be tolling for them. It’ll be tolling for us.
Segment 2: A Wicked Problem (How We Got Here)
Like chronic homelessness, the current opioid-fentanyl crisis is "a wicked problem" (and we’ll tell you how the idea of a “wicked problem” originated in professional management circles), one that doesn't lend itself to any simple explanation as to its cause, or any simple solution (or combination of simple solutions) for meaningfully addressing it. Using publicly available CDC data, we’ll track the 20-year rise of this “wicked problem” to demonstrate how we got here, and address recent early signs that the overdose epidemic might (or might not?) have peaked (although not in Spokane).
Segment 3: Canaries In the Mine (Fentanyl & Homelessness)
The rise in opioid/fentanyl overdose deaths over a period of 20 years begs an important question: Why didn't we see it coming? Was it because it took its heaviest toll on an already marginalized population, those experiencing chronic homelessness? Did we dismiss it because it involved "those people" rather than people close to home that we knew and loved, people we worked with, socialized with, went to Church with? Did we convince ourselves that it wasn't a drug problem so much as it was a homeless problem? What if those experiencing homelessness and drug addiction were the “canaries in the mine” of our larger community, people who could have warned us about what was coming, if we had taken the time to listen and understand, rather than marginalize and vilify? While 32% of all overdose deaths in Spokane occur in the homeless community, 68% of all overdose deaths are among the much larger housed community. The “canaries” warned us, but we weren’t listening.
Segment 4: “I Don’t Want My Daughter To Die” (Sheryl’s Story)
In this segment we will hear the story of a local mom and professional woman who followed her daughter on a decade-long journey through addiction. Her story, along with her observations on the Stigma, Barriers, & Holes she encountered from our medical system while trying to receive treatment for her daughter, is often a “Are you kidding me?!” eye-opening moment.
Segment 5: “Housing Is My Only Way Out” (Cindi’s Story)
Starting in 2020 at a pop-up warming shelter, I followed Cindi through several shelters and Camp Hope on her journey through homelessness and her struggle to achieve stable housing. In an interview in 2020, I asked her, “So, how do you see your way out right now?” to which she responded, “Getting housing is my only way.”After several attempts, Cindi finally achieved her housing goal, only to die in that housing from a drug overdose in July of 2024. Using excerpts from our 2020 interview, and upcoming interviews with her family, we’ll tell Cindi’s story to highlight how the opioid/fentanyl crisis is on the verge of destroying the Housing First model for so many who are struggling with both homelessness and substance abuse.
Segment 6: Sobriety Versus Harm Reduction
If there is a “great debate” in addiction and recovery services, this would be it: Sobriety versus Harm Reduction. We will look at the data and hear from practitioners on both sides.
Segment 7: From Hollywood To Heroin (Sarah’s Story)
Sarah’s career in the world of Hollywood filmmaking was taking off when it was derailed by opioids and a heroin addiction that nearly killed her. You’ll hear her story of addiction and recovery, and about her work here in Spokane and state-wide to bring better solutions to this “wicked problem.”
Segment 8: Stigma, Barriers, & Holes
When it comes to opioid-fentanyl addiction, our medical treatment system is seriously broken. In this segment, we’ll look at the stigma attached to addiction that prevents treatment, the barriers people encounter as they seek help, and the holes in our medical system that claim those who fall into them.
Segment 9: 28 Days Isn’t Long Enough
The story is that the 28-day treatment model was developed during the Vietnam War for soldiers addicted to opium while in Southeast Asia. They were shipped off to be detoxed and treated for 28 days before being sent back to their units. That model was then adopted (particularly by insurance companies) as a standard model for treatment programs. But experience has proven that it isn’t effective long-term. This Segment will explain why, and look at treatment models that work.