Opioid Crisis Declared Public Health Emergency

(Winter 2017) This past October, President Trump officially named the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. The declaration allows states to reallocate federal grant money originally earmarked for other health initiatives to fund opioid treatment. Public health emergencies end after three months, but they are eligible for renewal.

The president’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, headed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, recently issued a report outlining over 50 suggestions for turning the tide on opioid abuse. One of these is an anti-drug multimedia advertising program directed at America’s youth. To have the intended effect, however, those in favor of the project say it will require millions of dollars in backing. At this time, no funding source has been specified, although Christie suggested sharing the cost between the federal government and private business sponsors.

Those in favor of the advertising initiative point out this should be one facet of a multi-pronged strategy that also offers more treatment resources and alters physicians’ opioid-prescribing rates. Advocates advise that an ad campaign will only be successful if it takes into account what has worked previously and regularly evaluates the current message’s efficacy.

The Commission also endorsed adding more drug courts, which are designed to handle criminal cases; juvenile offenders; and parents with pending child welfare cases involving those suffering from substance use disorders.

Other recommendations of the Commission include:

• providing more widespread alternatives for pain relief
• mandating that physicians provide proof of training on best opioid prescribing practices as a condition of license renewal
• requiring health care providers to use prescription drug monitoring systems to curb doctor shopping
• stemming the flow of illicit fentanyl
• allocating money for the development of new pain and addiction treatments
• requiring insurance companies cover the cost of addiction treatment
• instituting block grants that states could use as needed for addiction treatment and prevention

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