“We’re in different days to when heroin use was rife among younger people”.
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The Obama administration is proposing to distribute $53 million to fight the opioid epidemic. John Ryan, CEO of Penington Institute, says that overdose is a growing problem worldwide; the United Nations calculates that 100,000 people die from overdose each year.
Burwell said there’s 3 main pillars of fighting addiction: reducing over-prescribing, increasing access to treatment, and increasing the availability of the opioid antidote Naloxone, also known as Narcan. “Too many are seeking treatment and can’t find it”.
The state of MI is getting some federal help to combat opioid misuse and abuse. The CDC awarded similar grants to 12 other states and Washington, D.C. Funding will support training on prevention of opioid overdose-related deaths as well as the purchase and distribution of naloxone to first responders. While two of those overdoses did resulted in deaths, he said that prevention and intervention efforts resulted in being able to save 24 lives. The program also seeks to raise community awareness and bring prescription drug misuse prevention activities and education to schools, communities, parents, prescribers, and their patients.
In addition, New Jersey will get a portion of $9 million set aside to educate residents about misusing prescription drugs, primarily by highlighting the dangers of sharing medications and overprescribing opioids. This supplemental funding will support the ongoing work of awardees, allowing awardees to address issues such as high overdose death rates in tribal communities and improve toxicology and drug screening.
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“Addiction is an epidemic that is impacting families all across our state and country”, said Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, chair of the Prescription Drug and Opioid Task Force. “These funds will support efforts with state and community partners to develop a statewide strategic plan that will help MI communities build capacity at the local level”.
