SAFE Glen Cove Coalition: Opioid Crisis Facts

According to a recent CNN report, in 2017, an estimated 1.7 million individuals in the United States suffered from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers and 652,000 suffered from a heroin use disorder. From 2010 to 2017, heroin overdose deaths increased five-fold. Prescription opioid volumes peaked in 2011, with the equivalent of 240 billion milligrams of morphine prescribed. The volume declined to about 171 million milligrams of morphine in 2017, a 29% .

During 2017, there were more than 70,200 overdose deaths in the United States and 47,600 of those overdose deaths involved opioids. More than 130 people died every day from opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016 and 2017, according to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

The 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, allocated $1 billion over two years in opioid crisis grants to states, providing funding for expanded treatment and prevention programs. In April 2017, Health and Human Services announced the distribution of the first round of $485 million in grants to all 50 states and US territories.

In August 2017, the US Attorney General announced the launch of an Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit within the Department of Justice (DOJ). The unit's mission is to prosecute individuals who commit opioid-related health care fraud. The DOJ is also appointing U.S. attorneys who will specialize in opioid health care fraud cases as part of a three-year pilot program in 12 jurisdictions nationwide.

On October 24, 2018, President Donald Trump signed opioid legislation into law. The support for Patients and Communities Act includes provisions aimed at promoting research to find new drugs for pain management that will not be addictive. It also expands access to treatment for substance use disorders for Medicaid patients. State legislatures are also introducing measures to regulate pain clinics and limit the quantity of opioids that doctors can dispense.

Opioid use disorder is the clinical term for opioid addiction or abuse. Opioids are drugs formulated to replicate the pain-enducing properties of opium. They include both legal painkillers like morphine, oxycodone, or hydrocodone prescribed by doctors for acute or chronic pain, as well as illegal drugs like heroin or illicitly made fentanyl. The word "opioid" is derived from the word "opium." Opioids bind to receptors in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting pain signals. They also activate the reward areas of the brain by releasing the hormone dopamine, creating a feeling of euphoria or a "high."

To read more about CNN's report please visit https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html

The SAFE Glen Cove Coalition is joining in the fight against this epidemic by conducting an opioid prevention awareness campaign entitled, "Keeping Glen Cove SAFE," in order to educate and update the community regarding opioid use and its consequences. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow us on www.facebook.com/safeglencove or visit SAFE’s website to learn more about the Opioid Epidemic at www.safeglencove.org