Synthetic Drugs: The Medical Perspective

Synthetic drugs were the subject under the spotlight at today's (May 31) Medical Milestones education luncheon, presented by St. Luke's Foundation.

Dr. Nicholas Van Deelen, the medical director of St. Luke's Emergency Department, addressed an audience at the Kitchi Gammi Club on a subject which has been attracting interest around Minnesota.

"This is the greatest number of patients that I have seen from any one group of substances, and it's by far the greatest acuity, or the most dangerous," said Dr. Van Deelen. "I think as citizens and health care workers, we need to do all we can to raise awareness of this problem and actively support efforts to solve it."

Duluth Police Department chief Gordon Ramsay attended the luncheon, and spoke following Dr. Van Deelen's presentation. He and Dr. Van Deelen responded to questions from the audience concerning the synthetic drugs issue in Duluth (pictured below).

St. Luke's Foundation's Medical Milestones educational programs examine topics of current interest in health and cutting-edge medical advancements. About 125 people were present for the synthetic drugs presentation, the highest attendance ever.

Catherine Carter Huber, the executive director of St. Luke's Foundation, said: "This topic was perfect because it's timely. People want to know about the subject and they want the information to come from a medical perspective because they just want the facts."

Medical Milestones presentations are held throughout the year and past topics have included robotic-assisted surgery and advances in orthopedic technology and treatment.

Two video clips from Dr. Van Deelen's talk are available on St. Luke's YouTube channel. They can be viewed here:

http://youtu.be/cPZwZhQzL1c

http://youtu.be/ENrqeENJL_Q