On October 26, 2017, Eric Hargan, the Acting Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), declared the opioid epidemic to be a "Public Health Emergency". According to the Center for Disease Control, 140 Americans die each day from drug overdose with 91 of these being opioid related. 52,404 died from drug overdoses in 2015 and at least 64,000 died in 2016.
The declaration of a "Public Health Emergency" allows for the activation of federal funds and services. More specifically, the HHS is offering a 5 point plan to address the problem. These 5 points are:
While this declaration falls short of the President declaring a "National Health Emergency", it does provide states with more flexibility in determining how resources are used to combat the problem locally. States with the worst problem are: District of Columbia, Vermont, Colorado, Delaware and Rhode Island. States with the best rankings are Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Florida ranks roughly in the middle of the list.
For further reading, please go here:
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/Pages/phedeclaration.aspx
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2017/10/26/hhs-acting-secretary-declares-public-health-emergency-address-national-opioid-crisis.html
- Improving access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services, including the full range of medication-assisted treatments.
- Targeting availability and distribution of overdose-reversing drugs.
- Strengthening our understanding of the crisis through better public health data and reporting.
- Providing support for cutting edge research on pain and addiction.
- Advancing better practices for pain management.
While this declaration falls short of the President declaring a "National Health Emergency", it does provide states with more flexibility in determining how resources are used to combat the problem locally. States with the worst problem are: District of Columbia, Vermont, Colorado, Delaware and Rhode Island. States with the best rankings are Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Florida ranks roughly in the middle of the list.
For further reading, please go here:
https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/Pages/phedeclaration.aspx
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2017/10/26/hhs-acting-secretary-declares-public-health-emergency-address-national-opioid-crisis.html
