Opioid prescribing in Ohio declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2016, according to a newly released report from the State Board of Pharmacy’s Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). The number of opioid prescriptions provided to Ohio patients decreased by 20 percent during the same period. The report also finds a 78.2 percent decrease in the amount of people engaged in the practice of "doctor shopping" since 2012.
Read the whole story via OhioMHAS NewsNow:
New Report Shows Continued Progress in Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing
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Gov. John Kasich recently signed another bill targeting Ohio's opiate and heroin epidemic. Senate Bill 319, sponsored by Sen. John Eklund, expands access to the anti-overdose drug naloxone to entities such as homeless shelters, halfway houses, schools, and treatment centers that deal with populations at high risk of heroin overdose.
Read the whole story via Governing:
Leading the Nation in Opioid Deaths, Ohio Fights Back
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"Along the road, I talked to judges, police officers, truant officers, addiction recovery counselors, addicts, and ordinary people coming and going. There was a common theme: This isn’t the place it used to be."
Read the whole story via the Washington Post:
An addiction crisis along 'the backbone of America'
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