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Electric Shock For Withdrawal? Chesterfield Takes A Chance On A New Device For Addiction
At first, Jackie Dameron wasn't so sure about strapping the electric buzzers to her head.
"Immediately my mind goes to electroshock therapy," said Dameron, a 29-year-old at the Chesterfield County Jail. "I thought I was going to seize and shake or something."
But she put them on. The alternative was to withdraw from years of opioid and Xanax use on her own, the horror of which she knew from experience.
The county's jail is the first in the country to debut a new technology said to help addicts through the harrowing pain of withdrawal – a days-long stretch where the body detoxes from a drug or behavior of choice. The device is numbing much of that horror. And, according to the jail's sheriff, is so attractive that people with active warrants are turning themselves in to receive its benefits.
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When equipped, a Bridge looks like a wired headset, with three points of contact around the ear.
AKASH PAMARTHY, TIMES- DISPATCHChesterfield's new gizmo is known as a Bridge. It works by stimulating nerves in the brain with a gentle, proprietary electric frequency. When equipped, a Bridge looks like a wired headset, with three points of contact around the ear.
"It's weird having these teeny, tiny things zapping your ears. But the longer I wore it, the better I felt," said Dameron.
Dameron was wired up last week. A heroin user of 10 years, Dameron said she was introduced to substances by a boyfriend she trusted.
She's one of 18 to receive the therapy. The jail's sheriff, Karl Leonard, said they are one shy of a perfect success rate. One effort went awry when the patient wore their electrodes into a shower: a $600 mistake.
So far, the jail is buying the devices with profits from their canteen — a snack shop where inmates can buy jail luxuries like chips or ramen noodles.
Amanda Moore is the latest to wear the Bridge. The electrodes sit snugly around her ear. Under her hair, they are hard to notice.
Moore came into the jail in late May, where she began detoxing from 12 years of on-and-off use of heroin and methamphetamines.
"It's definitely helping," said Moore. "Usually if I was detoxing I'd be in my bed. I'd be tossing and turning, miserable, not able to sit up straight and participate. It really does work."
The Times-Dispatch visited the jail this month. Sheriff Karl Leonard shared that Moore had taken off her Bridge device on Saturday, and then died of unknown causes on Sunday. There is no reason to believe that the death was connected to the device, for which medical examiners say the cause and manner are still pending.
Altering the feedback loop
It's the target response for the device's creators in California. The company, Masimo, launched Bridge in 2020. It's the first of its kind to be approved by the FDA for treating opioid withdrawal, which can last up to two weeks.
Withdrawals occur when a brain accustomed to a dopamine-releasing chemical of choice is suddenly cut off. The absence of alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and even certain addictive behaviors, tilts the brain's chemical seesaw into a deprivation state.
Dr. William Wilson, EVP of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs for Masimo. Masimo's new technology, the Bridge, is being used to help addicts at Chesterfield's County Jail.
Courtesy of MasimoThe brain's pleasure center, where this drama unfolds, basically goes haywire, said Dr. William Wilson, head of clinical research for Masimo.
"One way or another you need to alter the feedback loops that are causing malfunction of the brain," said Wilson. "And here you're stimulating certain loops that are decreasing the pain, the anxiety, the discomfort and the ill-feeling associated with opioid withdrawal."
The company is pushing for more insurers, including Medicaid, to cover the $600 device. Masimo spokesperson Irene Mulonni said patients currently pay for the device out of pocket. Each Bridge runs for five days before its battery dies. The device is not reusable.
For years, addicts have weathered the storm of withdrawal through medication — from extra strength Tylenol to clinically supervised methadone treatments. Wilson said the company wanted to make something to help addicts that didn't involve a pill.
"This is really the start," said Wilson. "And it's also what the future looks like."
Untraditional corrections
This month, a man emailed Leonard with an unusual request after watching a news segment regarding the Bridge device.
"I wanted to reach out to you in reference to turning myself in," said the man, whose name the sheriff asked be withheld. "I'm ready to throw in the towel as it stands right now … I'm beat and tired and need help bad."
Leonard's jail may be one of the few in the country where wanted criminals surrender themselves freely — and where alumni come back willingly.
For years Leonard's jail has offered a program called HARP — Helping Addicts Recover Progressively. It's composed of two separate areas in the jail where men and women commit to recovery.
In a circle similar to one that might be formed by a 12-step group, women in the HARP program talked about the Bridge, their pathways to addiction, and the tools they've found to fight their worst cravings.
Some, like Jamie Boggs, are HARP alumni who have already been released, but have returned as part of their recovery. In a jail pod full of jumpsuits, Boggs stands out in her street clothes.
Inmates with substance use disorder spend time in recovery at the Chesterfield County Jail on May. The jail introduced a technological device to its inmates called the Bridge, which helps them through withdrawals from opioids, which can be horrific and painful.
AKASH PAMARTHY, TIMES- DISPATCHThe program is run by Kerri Rhodes, a licensed counselor whose son Taylor died of an opioid overdose in 2019. Her mission is personal.
And she loves to push her clients outside of their comfort zone.
"That's part of HARP. We love to make them uncomfortable every chance we get. Because if they can deal with uncomfortable, that's a real step in the right direction for your recovery," said Rhodes.
Harp isn't "traditional corrections," Rhodes said. Megan Thurston, a HARP participant, called her time her "the best experience I've ever had."
"In a jail," Thurston quickly added, with a laugh.
'It's not magic'
Jennifer Hughes, one of the women in the HARP pod, described her own withdrawal as a "river of misery."
"These people see that we're suffering. We're not just a number," said Hughes, who will be released in December. "And they let us know that on a daily basis."
In that light, the Bridge is just another addition to an arsenal of ideas that Rhodes has introduced.
A member in recovery sheds a tear as he watches a documentary on substance use addiction at the Chesterfield County Jail. The county's jail is the first in the country to debut a new technology said to help addicts through the harrowing pain of withdrawal.
AKASH PAMARTHY, TIMES- DISPATCH"The Bridge is a tool. It's not magic, it's not a wand. It didn't take it all away," said Rhodes.
But maybe it's magic is in making it just a little bit easier to ask for help. Rhodes asks the circle if any of the women would have turned themselves in willingly while they were using.
"How many of you would have turned yourselves in if you knew there was a way to manage withdrawal and for us to help you?" Rhodes asked.
Every woman in the circle raised their hand.
Inmates with substance use disorder spend time in recovery.
AKASH PAMARTHY, TIMES- DISPATCH Which states have the worst substance abuse problems? Which states have the worst substance abuse problems?Accidental injuries, a category that includes drug overdoses, are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45—a situation that seems unlikely to change any time soon.
A major contributing factor to this crisis is the opioid epidemic, which continues to ravage the country. More than 105,000 people died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in November 2023, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This number is slightly lower than its peak in May of that same year but is twice the rate of 2015.
Counseling Schools looked at data from the CDC to see how the opioid epidemic is evolving across America. Since 2016, synthetic opioids like fentanyl have been the deadliest drug, accounting for over 80% of fatal overdoses.
Drug overdose deaths have been rising all across the country. As of 2023, coastal states and those in the Appalachian Mountains have been hit the hardest. Deadly drugs are especially prevalent in West Virginia, which suffered 78 deaths per 100,000 residents.
The modern opioid crisis started in the 1990s, when drug companies began marketing prescription opioids such as Purdue's OxyContin (oxycodone) for pain management while understating their addictive qualities. In a settlement with state and local governments, the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, agreed to pay $6 billion while giving up control of the company. In turn, the Sackler family would be immune from opioid-related civil lawsuits. The Supreme Court has frozen the settlement to consider whether courts had the authority to grant such protections to the Sackler family.
The recent rise of fentanyl has made the oxycodone crisis seem tame. This synthetic opioid is estimated to be between 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine: Even a tiny dose can kill an adult, unlike oxycodone, and is primarily made illegally. One reason fentanyl has had such a wide reach in America is that it is often mixed in with other drugs, such as heroin, meth, or ecstasy. This allows drug makers to create more powerful narcotics at a lower cost but makes it easy for consumers to misjudge doses.
Counseling Schools Fentanyl's damage has been widespreadIn 2015, Angus Deaton and Anne Case, two economists from Princeton University, popularized the phrase "deaths of despair" to describe America's growing opioid problem. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they observed that mortality rates for people ages 45 to 54 were on the rise in the United States, but declining in other high-income countries. The researchers also noted that deaths from drug overdoses were the highest for non-Hispanic white Americans. Using data that ran through 2013, the authors found the biggest contributors to the increase in these early deaths were poisoning (including overdoses), suicide, and chronic liver disease, the latter associated with excessive drinking. This research was widely quoted in the media, sparking numerous debates about why working-class white Americans were fairing so poorly.
Fentanyl's widespread use has meant that opioid abuse can no longer be considered contained to one demographic group. A recent paper in JAMA Psychiatry by Joseph Friedman and Helena Hansen, medical researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, points out that the death rate from drug overdoses and liver poisoning for Black Americans has now caught up to that of white Americans. The authors also note that Native Americans, who even before the rise of fentanyl had the highest alcohol-and-drug-related death rate, also experienced a massive increase in fatal overdoses.
Most illegal fentanyl is made in Mexico from chemicals in China and then smuggled into America, according to the Congressional Research Service. Stopping this trade has proven difficult, in part because of the drug's potency—only a small amount is required per user. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced that it seized around 77 million fentanyl pills and about 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2023, the most of any year, indicating that demand for the drug is still sky-high.
Some policymakers are moving to target dealers and users of the drug. Oregon recently announced that it would recriminalize drugs, making "personal use possession" a misdemeanor. Residents of the state had previously voted to decriminalize most drug activity in 2020. The new law makes provisions for addiction and mental health services as an alternative to jail, implementing a middle ground.
Story editing by Shannon Luders-Manuel. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
This story originally appeared on Counseling Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counseling Schools Which states have the worst substance abuse problems?Window Cleaner Fights For Life After 33,000-volt Shock From Powerline Blasts Him Across Garden
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailA window cleaner miraculously survived a 33,000-volt electric shock which blasted him out of his shoes.
Doctors were left with no choice but to amputate his arm after the deadly current jumped from an overhead cable onto his cleaning pole in a customer's back garden.
Jason Knight, 34, from Westbury, Wiltshire, thought he was going to die after the powerful shock narrowly missed his heart and sent him flying seven feet across a lawn in April this year, leaving scorched footprints in the grass.
The self-employed window cleaner was airlifted to Southmead Hospital where doctors performed 17 surgeries in an effort to save him, but they were forced to amputate his left arm and five of his toes that were severely burned.
Jason, who lives with his wife Sara, 35, and their 18-month-old identical twin girls and seven-year-old daughter, remains in hospital where he faces months of recovery and has been told he may never be able to walk again.
His sister Leanna has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help support his young family and his recovery after Jason had to shut down his two-year-old cleaning business.
"It was only when I looked down at my feet, my shoes were no longer on, that I realised I had such serious injuries," Jason said.
"I somehow managed to roll and crawl to the closest wall, nearest to the conservatory, and managed to lean myself up against it.
"At that point all I could think was that I was going to die.
"I couldn't tap on the window, there was nothing I could do."
The powerful shock sent Jason flying seven feet across the lawn in April this year, leaving scorched footprints in the grass (PA)Jason's father John Knight, 58, added: "He should be dead."
On April 6, Jason was using a water-fed pole to clean the conservatory windows at a customer's property which has power cables running through the back garden.
Neither the owner nor Jason were aware these were 33,000 volt electricity lines and there were no obvious warning signs around the property.
He finished cleaning the last pane and was on the verge of packing up when his carbon fibre pole came close to one of the powerlines and Jason was suddenly "catapulted" seven feet through the air.
"The next thing I remember is waking up on the other side of the lawn meters away from where I had been cleaning," he said.
"It happened that fast.
"I was very dazed and dizzy.
"I just had to wait for someone to come and find me."
The shock was so powerful, it blew Jason's boots off and burnt his footprints into the grass.
"You can see in the photographs Jason's feet are burnt in the grass," his father said.
"That's where he was standing when he was electrocuted, just over six feet away from the conservatory."
Jason has undergone 17 surgeries, including several to remove five of his toes and a 'significant amount' of dead tissue (PA)Jason was found barely conscious, slumped against the building, about 10 minutes later by the bewildered homeowner who called emergency services.
"Thankfully, the customer saw me and asked if I needed help and obviously I said yes," said Jason.
"I must have then passed out."
John raced to the scene and watched through a hole in the fence as his son was airlifted to Southmead Hospital, where doctors carried out an emergency amputation of his left forearm.
"When I arrived, I could see the air ambulance in the adjacent field, about 20 metres away – that's when I knew it was serious," John explained, fighting back tears.
"The paramedics stopped me from going into the garden, but I managed to take a peek through a gap in the fence.
"I could see his hand was completely black and he was burnt all down his face.
"He wasn't wearing any shoes because they had been blown off, and his feet were all black.
"Obviously I went into shock and the pilot came over and put his arms round me and said, 'don't worry, I'll have him there in 10 minutes'."
Since the accident, Jason has undergone 17 surgeries, including several to remove five of his toes and a "significant amount" of dead tissue, tendons and muscle from both his legs, leaving him unable to walk.
A scan revealed the electric current had only narrowly missed his heart after travelling down his left arm and through his body.
The overhead 33,000 volt power cables (Collect/PA Real Life) (PA)The day after the blast, John contacted Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSEN), the company which owns and operates the network of power cables in the area, and a preliminary report has now been issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Guidance, published on the HSE website, states that "voltages lower than 230 volts can kill and injure people" and that "going close to a live overhead line can result in a flashover".
Flashovers happen when electricity jumps a short distance between an overhead line and a nearby object which has either not been insulated or the insulation has been compromised by water or other substances.
The family has been told Jason's recovery could take several months and there is a possibility he may never walk again.
Due to the severity of his injuries, he has had to wind down his small cleaning business, H2O Vision, which he spent two years "building up".
Despite the many challenges that lie ahead, Jason, remains positive.
"Every day is a little bit better," he said from hospital.
"I do get up days and down days but I am positive.
"The pain is up and down, as I am in surgery a lot.
"I think I am on 17 surgeries now and obviously after each surgery the pain creeps up a lot and sets me back from doing physio.
"It's a very slow process but I am trying to do what I can to keep strong."
To aid his mobility, Jason will also have to make "inevitable changes" to his home, and likely pay for prosthetics and ongoing physiotherapy, all while supporting his family.
Jason's sister, Leanna Haskell, 31, from Frome in Somerset, has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help him cover these costs, which has already raised over £19,500.
Doctors no choice but to amputate his arm after the deadly current jumped from an overhead cable onto his cleaning pole (PA)Leanna said "The support from not only people who know Jason but also complete strangers has been really humbling and the only way I can explain it, is that it restores your faith in humanity.
"It's been remarkable.
"We as a family are truly, truly grateful to everyone, for their donations, for sharing Jason's story and for their well-wishes."
Among those sharing their support has been former England goalkeeper David Seaman, formerly of Jason's favourite football team Arsenal FC, who created a "get well soon" video with "loads of love" saying: "You're an Arsenal fan… we're used to good news and bad news but we get through it.
"Keep battling and we'll see you down at the Emirates very soon."
An SSEN Distribution spokesperson said: "We were saddened to hear about the incident that occurred in Westbury in April, and our thoughts are with Mr Knight and his family at this very difficult time.
"At SSEN, we take our responsibility for the public's safety around our assets very seriously.
"Since the incident, we have been closely involved with the Health and Safety Executive's ongoing investigation, supplying details of regular asset inspections (the last of which was in 2023), public communications and evidence of full compliance with Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (ESQCR) which includes requirements for statutory warning signs and distance from property.
"We continue to fully support the HSE in its investigation, as required.
"However, as this is an active investigation, we are unable to make further public comment at this time."
Animals And Electric Shocks
IT is well known to electricians that animals are much more sensitive to electric shock than human beings. Quite low voltages, of the order of 20 volts, are dangerous to cattle and horses. About twenty years ago, when rural electrification began to increase on the Continent, fatalities to these animals began to occur, and it was found necessary to devise methods for mitigating the danger. As the electrification of farms has now been begun in Great Britain, the paper by T. C. Gilbert in the Electrician for April 29, in which he discusses some of the effective safety devices used abroad, should prove useful. Wiring systems where the 'live' wires are surrounded by metal which is connected to 'earth' are perhaps the safest, at least in towns, where the mains of the water supply system, into which any leakage currents usually flow, form an excellent earth. In rural districts, earths are made by burying metal plates or pipes. In this case the resistance of the earth may be of the order of 50 ohms, and so even if a leakage current be less than an ampere, the difference of potential of the ground near where the pipe is inserted and four feet away may cause a dangerous shock to a large animal standing with a foreleg near the pipe and a hindleg four feet from it. Mr. Gilbert records a very exceptional case where no less than six cows in one farm were killed from this cause. So far as we know, no fatalities to human beings have ever occurred in this way. We have heard of cases where mild shocks have been felt in the street, when a pedestrian steps from one part of the pavement to the other, due to a fault in an underground main. The effective methods used abroad show that the risks to cattle can be made almost negligible.
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