According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), ninety-one Americans die every day from an opioid overdose, and the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has quadrupled since 1999. Closer to home, here in Maine, there has been a 265% increase in deaths from prescription opioid overdose in men, and a 400% increase in deaths in women since 1999. Maine has the distinction of leading the nation in the highest rate of prescriptions for long-acting opioids.

These and other statistics have been shared by Gordon H. Smith, Esq., Executive Vice President of Maine Medical Association, as he travels the state meeting with health care providers to explain the opioid law changes that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.

Mr. Smith is a Maine native, graduating from the University of Maine with highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, Magna Cum Laude, in 1976. He practiced law privately before coming to the Maine Medical Association as General Counsel in 1981. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of Medical Association Counsel and the AMA/State Medical Society Litigation Center. Mr. Smith has also served as Chair of the Maine Health Data Organization and of the Executive Committee of the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He is also a former Chair of the Board of Quality Counts, a regional quality improvement collaborative and a former board member of the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging. He is a current board member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership. In 2016, he was named by Maine Magazine as one of fifty Mainers influencing public policy and events in the state.

In 2015 Mr. Smith received the President’s Award from the Maine Public Health Association for “exemplary service and commitment to the practice and profession of public health in the State of Maine.” In 2016, he received the President’s Award from the Maine Primary Care Association for “dedication to improving the quality, accessibility and value of health care in Maine.” A frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects, Mr. Smith has served as Executive Vice President of the Maine Medical Association since September 1993 and has had a relationship with the Association dating back to September 1979.

The club gathered in Club Assembly on Friday to hear updates on several key projects. Kris Rosado and Alex St. Hilaire shared the progress of the Maine Outdoor Challenge (MOC) and reported that contributions and pledges are coming in at a faster pace than usual. “We are way ahead of where we normally are at this point,” Kris said, adding that MOC could have a very good year. The team is looking for large items to add to the live auction—vacation retreats, boating opportunities—and contributors should coordinate with Cyrus Hagge. The MOC team will be recruiting teams to solicit contributions from local businesses and will make detailed maps available to speed the process. 

First Vice President Don Zillman discussed his approach to planning for next year as he continues the officer tradition in the club. He asked, “What should be our role with the District and International?” He referenced his Law School colleague, Anna Welch, who oversees the Law School’s Refugee and Human Rights Clinic. He reminded us of the Deering High School student, Laura Iteka, who was the recent recipient of the Youth Service Award, and who spent a year on the streets in Portland, “What help can we provide the unaccompanied minors who are coming to Portland as immigrants and need mentors and guardians and connections to the community?” Don asked those who had ideas and suggestions to connect with him directly.

Liz Fagan provided another perspective on the Childhood Hunger and Education (CHE) project with a short presentation focused on the importance of literacy and language skills. Liz focused our attention on the landmark research conducted by Betty Hart and Todd Risley in 1995, which determined that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their fourth birthday than others. Children who heard more words were significantly better in academic achievement than those who heard fewer. The study noted: “the kids who started out ahead, stayed ahead; the kids who started out behind, stayed behind.” The result is what we know as the “achievement gap.” The impact for us is that what may seem a small act, such as reading aloud to children, has an enormous impact on all of us. Liz reported that 85 percent of a child’s brain is developed in years one to three. “Children are not born smart,” she said. “They are made smart.”

More information about the Thirty-Million-Words project is at: http://thirtymillionwords.org/; and the video featuring the organization’s director, Dr. Dana Suskind, that Liz shared with us, can be found at: https://youtu.be/7qESE2GeZxo