Many people struggle with addiction, he noted. \u201cIt\u2019s about time people come out of the shadows and say, first, it\u2019s OK, and help is on the way,\u201d he said. \u201cCompassion is strength, not weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guckian later told the Globe that he sought professional help about a decade ago because he was drinking too much alcohol to cope with a variety of pressures that he was facing at the time.<\/p>\n
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At that time, Guckian, now 49, was a bank vice president, studying for a master of business administration degree, and serving on five volunteer boards, he said. He and his wife had just had their third child, his mother-in-law had Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and he faced financial insecurity for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a powder keg,\u201d Guckian said. After putting in 16-hour days, he\u2019d drink too much, he said. \u201cIt crescendoed. You start saying inappropriate things, taking more risks, doing things that are plain dumb. Ultimately, it wasn\u2019t working.\u201d<\/p>\n
Family and friends sat him down to talk to him about his alcohol use, Guckian said. \u201cOne of my best friends said \u2018You are the glue for everybody,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI was looking at my father and seeing defeat in his eyes and him saying, \u2018I don\u2019t know what do to do anymore.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Guckian agreed to get help. And, he said, \u201cI have not had a drink in 10 years in April, God willing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Guckian said, that experience is shaping the proposals he hopes to pursue, if elected governor, to improve Rhode Island\u2019s mental health and addiction services.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I approach 10 years of sobriety in April and turn 50 in March, I\u2019ve reached a point where this isn\u2019t theoretical for me anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve lived the consequences of systems that don\u2019t move fast enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guckian, the former executive director of the Rhode Island Dental Association, called for tapping millions in opioid lawsuit settlement dollars<\/a> and $10 million set aside for pediatric dental care<\/a> to rapidly expand treatment and recovery services, and other aspects of health care.<\/p>\n And he called for providing those services at repurposed sites such as the University of Rhode Island\u2019s closed Whispering Pines Conference Center in West Greenwich, the Zambarano hospital campus in Burrillville, the closed Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, and the former Ladd School in Exeter.<\/p>\n Guckian also mentioned the long-vacant \u201cSuperman\u201d building<\/a> in downtown Providence, calling it a symbol of unrealized potential. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we fail to act, inertia becomes the kryptonite of our society,\u201d he said. \u201cThese sites should be places of healing and renewal, not reminders of inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n Guckian suggested turning abandoned and underused retail locations, such as former Walgreens drugstore sites, into neighborhood-based health hubs offering primary care, mental health services, addiction treatment, oral health, and preventive care.<\/p>\n \u201cThese locations are already in the community,\u201d he said. \u201cThey allow us to bring care closer to people instead of forcing people to navigate broken systems.\u201d<\/p>\n Guckian said the challenge is not a lack of funding, but how effectively resources are put to work. \u201cCoordination is the key right now,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have too many nonprofits that all trying to do the same work, but you need to synchronize it.\u201d<\/p>\n Guckian said he\u2019d like to see a public-private partnership led by the Partnership for Rhode Island<\/a>, a nonprofit business group which includes many of the state\u2019s top CEOs. <\/p>\n The aim would be to bring together state government, hospital systems, organized labor, major employers, community providers, philanthropy, wellness organizations, and the Rhode Island National Guard to coordinate planning, deployment, and accountability, he said.<\/p>\n Guckian, a former development officer at the Rhode Island Foundation, also called for the foundation to establish a fund in honor of those affected by the Dec. 13 mass shooting at Brown University<\/a>, to support mental health care, addiction treatment, healthcare loan repayment, and frontline workforce capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cHonoring those affected by this tragedy means acting with purpose and coordination,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is how we prevent the next crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n To support his proposals, Guckian called for \u201ca significantly larger\u201d healthcare loan repayment and workforce support program that he said would attract and retain primary care physicians, mental health professionals, addiction specialists, dentists, and nurses.<\/p>\n \u201cLoan repayment is one of the fastest and smartest ways to build workforce capacity and keep providers here long-term,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @FitzProv<\/a>.<\/p>\n