“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78 people die every day from opioid overdoses in the United States.
To address the situation, the National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices developed a road map to help states prevent, respond and treat opioid misuse as well as strengthen law enforcement efforts to address illegal supply chain activity. “It is designed as a policy development tool, allowing a state to use all or portions of the road map as it applies to their unique situation,” NGA officials said.
For the road map, NGA worked with 13 states between 2012 and 2015 to develop effective statewide programs to combat prescription opioid misuse.
The programs allow law enforcement to track where the painkillers are going and whether they are being overprescribed as well give health care providers more accurate, immediate information and the ability to examine trends and outcomes of state policies and programs. They also provide recommendations for prescription drug disposal programs and improved education, tighter requirements and prescribing guidelines for health care providers.
The road map consists of three main parts: assessment, policy development and implementation and evaluation.”
Read more at: https://gcn.com/articles/2016/08/08/nga-drug-abuse-road-map.aspx
Source: GCN.org – August 8, 2016
