Hospitals, and the women and men who work in them, witness the toll of opioid abuse on patients and the health of their communities every day. In 2014 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 28,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses and at least half involved a prescription drug. The Senate passed AHA-supported opioid abuse legislation in March, and, this week, the House of Representatives with an overwhelming bipartisan majority enacted a series of AHA-supported measures, including provisions: encouraging the use and distribution of opioid overdose reversal drugs; permitting partial filling of prescriptions to avoid overuse; and creating a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee to review opioids without abuse-deterrent properties before approval. This is progress. But there’s still a long ways to go. Congress now must reconcile the bills and get a comprehensive piece of legislation to the president to sign. In the meantime, our advocacy for action and the funding needed to support the opioid abuse fight will continue, as will our efforts to provide information and resources – such as webinars – to help our members understand and address the problem with their patients and communities. 

Related News Articles

Headline
Oct. 28 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, an opportunity for the public to safely dispose of unwanted or expired tablets, capsules, patches and…
Headline
Federal agencies last month stopped over 500 unapproved pharmaceutical products and medical devices, including opioid and other controlled substances, from…
Headline
As the House Energy and Commerce Committee works to reauthorize key programs within the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and…
Headline
While counseling and other services are an important part of a comprehensive treatment plan for opioid use disorder, the provision of medication should not be…
Headline
AHA today launched an updated Opioid Stewardship Hub, featuring the latest tools and resources to help hospitals and health systems address the opioid epidemic…
Headline
The Food and Drug Administration last week required certain labeling updates for opioid pain medicines in an effort to reduce unnecessary prescribing and…