WASHINGTON, D.C. – With drug overdose deaths on the rise in Ohio, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced new legislation today that would address the opioid addiction crisis from prevention to recovery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than any other year on record. In Ohio alone, drug overdose deaths increased from 2,110 in 2013 to 2,482 in 2014. Brown’s bill would implement regular training for opioid prescribers so they can better diagnose and prevent addiction in the first place, while boosting services for treatment and recovery.

“Addiction isn’t an individual problem or a character flaw – it’s a chronic disease that, when left untreated, places a massive burden on our health care system, our families, and communities,” Brown said. “That’s why I’ve introduced the Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act – a comprehensive solution to address this multifaceted problem. It should not be easier for Ohioans to get their hands on opioids than it is for them to get help to treat their addiction.”

During a news conference call today, Brown outlined his legislation, which represents a comprehensive approach to address the entire spectrum of addiction, from crisis to recovery, including: boosting prevention, improving tools for crisis response for those who fall through the cracks, expanding access to treatment, and providing support for lifelong recovery. Brown was joined by Juni Johnson, Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH, who discussed how Brown’s legislation would help her organization better serve the residents and communities in Ross County.

“Sen. Brown’s bill would bring much-needed resources to fight the opiate epidemic across a whole continuum of care,” Johnson said. “It helps us to address addiction on many fronts including prevention in schools, crisis services, and evidence-based treatment that includes MAT. I applaud Senator Brown’s initiative to make a real difference in Ohio.”

Specifically, Brown’s bill, the Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act, would:

Prevent Addiction by:

  • Implementing regular trainings for health care professionals who prescribe opioids to improve their ability to diagnose addiction.
  • Creating a grant program to improve tracking and reporting of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses.

Respond to Ohioans in Crisis by:

  • Providing funding for communities to train first responders, physicians, pharmacists, and the public to respond quickly and effectively to prevent overdoses.
  • Making naloxone – a safe and effective medication that can reverse overdoses – more affordable and accessible, to ensure the medication can quickly reach communities that need it the most.
  • Funding syringe exchange programs that often offer a path to connect patients to treatment while decreasing the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C.

Expand Access to Treatment by:

  • Focusing effective medication-assisted treatment (MAT) on regions experiencing rapid increases in heroin and prescription opioid use.
  • Authorizing grants to increase access to residential treatment programs for pregnant and post-partum women who are struggling with addiction and creating a pilot program to allow for outpatient treatment services for pregnant women along the continuum of care.
  • Expanding the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) capacity to award grants to states experiencing rapid increases in heroin or other opioid use and to respond quickly using evidence-based interventions.
  • Increasing the pool of trained care providers by creating a loan repayment program for health professionals who treat individuals with substance use disorders

Support Life-Long Recovery by:

  • Creating a National Youth Recovery Initiative by establishing a new grant program for accredited recovery high schools and institutions of higher education to provide substance use recovery support services to high school and college students.
  • Expanding recovery support services through mentorship, peer support, community education and outreach (including naloxone training), programs that reduce stigma or discrimination against individuals with substance use disorders, and developing partnerships between recovery support groups and community organizations.
  • Strengthening parity in mental health and substance use disorder health insurance benefits.

 

Brown is holding a series of roundtables around the state to discuss efforts to combat prescription drug abuse. Last month, he met with community members and local leaders at Summit County Public Health Department and in October 2015, Brown convened a meeting in Ross County at Paint Valley ADAMH Board.

Rep. Frank Pallone (NJ-6) has a companion bill in the House.

 

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