 PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH INITIATIVE Brandon Martinez was 16 years old when his best friend convinced him to try methamphetamine. Chosen by his classmates as the student with the “best personality” in his Ignacio, Colorado high school class, Martinez was a good student and popular. Like many kids who tragically “try” methamphetamine, one time was all it took to get Martinez hooked on the drug. By the time he was 18 years old, Brandon Martinez was in prison.The well-spoken 22-year-old, who now works as a chef in Salt Lake City, tells his story on videotape and in person to try to prevent others from enduring the life-changing events that took over his adolescence and young adulthood. Martinez works with the San Juan Basin Health Department for the La Plata County Community Methamphetamine Forum. Funded through The Colorado Trust’s Partnerships for Health Initiative, which seeks to bridge gaps in state health care funding, the Forum also bridges a knowledge gap. In a video produced by Forum program co-designer Scot Davis, youngster after youngster testifies to the devastating effects of methamphetamine – extreme weight loss, tooth decay, skin abrasions and the devastating loss of any kind of personal direction besides the effort to simply get more drugs. The film is shown to children beginning in middle school in southwestern Colorado where, like a lot of places, methamphetamine use has become a major public health issue. Accompanying the film are presenters like Martinez. “I came from a very nurturing family. I had planned to go to college. This drug is not just something that happens in ghettos. The drug does not discriminate,” says Martinez. “The bottom line is it’s your own choice, your own will.” One of the reasons Martinez says he works with the Forum is to stave off the persistent temptation to use the drug again. According to Forum directors, the recidivism rate for those leaving prison after convictions related to methamphetamine use is more than 80%. Meth users are often incarcerated for crimes like theft or, worse, to get cash to buy drugs. They find that when they’re released from prison, they can be drawn back into a cycle of using the drug because the people they know are users and encourage its use. Recovering addicts released from prison find a social alternative at the Forum. Many, like Martinez, find strength in working to prevent others from ever getting started using meth. The Forum widens its efforts daily to reach more and more young people before the temptation to “try” methamphetamine does. And Martinez and other ex-addicts are essential to that effort. “It keeps my mind in the right position,” he says. “It’s a kind of redemption. Participating in prevention allows me to stave off using the drug. It keeps my personal life in check. And anything that helps is a blessing!” Martinez earned his graduate equivalency diploma. He still wants to go to college although he’s changed his idea about his major. His current goal is to become a drug treatment counselor. Quality Health Care |
