Stanislaus medical group honors ‘top doctor’. He’s outspoken about opioid painkillers
Dr. Ronald Arakelian was nominated in 2020 for the Stanislaus Medical Society’s “Physician of the Year” award, but the group postponed the honor as doctors dealt with the coronavirus pandemic and social gatherings were canceled.
Arakelian, who has practiced medicine in Turlock for 41 years, will receive the John Darroch Memorial Award at a medical society dinner in May. The annual award goes to a physician who exemplifies professionalism and dedication to patient care and education.
In addition to holding leadership roles, the Turlock physician has been outspoken about the national opioid crisis, urging local doctors to cut back on prescribing the narcotic pain medications and reconsider when those drugs are appropriate for patients.
His effort began in 2013 with an open letter to physicians associated with Emanuel Medical Center warning against opioid overuse. At that time, state data showed twice as many opioid drugs were being prescribed per capita in Stanislaus County than statewide.
When he became president of the Stanislaus Medical Society in 2017, the prescription data on the state surveillance dashboard remained a concern. Arakelian established an opioid education program and promoted it to nearly 1,000 doctors in Stanislaus County.
“I would say ‘I can’t believe we have twice as much pain as the rest of the state,’” Arakelian recalled. “Once patients start getting used to the narcotic medications, it is difficult for them to give them up.”
In his opinion, doctors across the country were deceived by the pharmaceutical industry and dubious studies, leading to overuse of the addictive pain relievers.
According to the county data, doctors are now writing less than half the opioid prescriptions than in 2017. Arakelian hopes his program played a role in that.
Arakelian stressed the opioid crisis is not over yet because of overdoses tied to fentanyl pills, which are distributed through the illegal drug trade.
Caring for coronavirus patients at Emanuel
Along with his internal medicine practice in Turlock, the medical society honoree has served three times as chief of staff at Emanuel Medical Center.
Two years ago, Emanuel’s hospital staff began seeing patients with pneumonia caused by a new pathogen sweeping the world.
Arakelian said everyone on the medical staff plunged in to care for the “sickest of the sick,” regardless of the danger to themselves posed by exposure to COVID-19. There were not many treatment options at first.
“You talk about flying blind,” Arakelian said. “We didn’t even have testing. .... About the only thing we had was oxygen. We thought if we give enough oxygen to keep these people alive, hopefully their bodies will respond and they will recover.”
Many doctors could be honored for their front-line work during the pandemic, but Arakelian took care of his share of COVID patients with the help of infectious disease physicians. The safety equipment included a protective gown, masks, head gear and respirator.
Resident training at the Mayo Clinic
Arakelian is originally from Livingston and earned a bachelor of science degree at University of California Davis in 1972. He attended medical school at Creighton University and completed an internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Following training in critical care at University of Utah Medical School, he returned to the Central Valley in 1981 to join a private practice with four other doctors in Turlock. He has served as a delegate to the California Medical Society several times.
Arakelian said he has wished something could be done about prescription drug costs in the United States. His patients who can’t afford the costs for their medication may resort to buying the drugs from Canada, he said.
Arakelian is from the boomer generation and holds onto some old-school practices. For example, he makes a visit every day to see his patients who are hospitalized, rather than turn them over to “hospitalists” or doctors certified in hospital medicine.
“I just feel it’s a better system when your own doctor sees what’s going on with you in the hospital and has a chance to help,” Arakelian said.
