Another candidate came out with a plan for opioid use disorder and this one's good.
medium.com/@BetoORourke/b…
medium.com/@BetoORourke/b…
Many of the plans address the stigma involved with opioid use disorder and plan to address the problem with significant federal funds. This plan not only does this, but contains nuanced changes to current policies that will make a difference.
The first one that jumps out, is the plan to get rid of the X-waiver for buprenorphine prescriptions. ACMT recently put out a position paper on this (acmt.net/_Library/Posit…) advocating for just this. @RyanMarino had a big role in this.
Limitations and barriers to prescription limit the help that patient's with OUD get. Not having ED providers or hospitalists or PCPs be able to prescribe is a huge barrier to treatment in the US.
Sure, providers need to learn how to properly prescribe, but if a doc can write 30d of oxy(much more deadly) they should be able to write a bridging prescription for suboxone. Not just that but there are a number of infrequently prescribed more dangerous meds (e.g. colchicine)
The plan also addresses the fact that not only opioid use disorders and deaths have been rising, but as have overdoses on other drugs. Specifically, it talks about benzodiazepines and the rapid rise in methamphetamine overdoses in recent years.
It also ties state grants to evidence based therapies/strategies, not programs that have never been shown to work (a problem in PA with recent bills advocating against evidence based therapies for recovery) post-gazette.com/news/state/201…
Ton of other good stuff: supporting state foster cares, increasing naloxone distribution, creation of needle exchanges, targeting supply chains and ensuring patients with chronic pain needs not be denied therapy if needed so that they turn to illicit use
Again, comprehensive plan with essential elements (expanding therapy by getting rid of barriers - X-waiver specifically).
The plan speaks as one that was written by providers, social workers, and people in the community who've suffered from the crisis.
medium.com/@BetoORourke/b…
The plan speaks as one that was written by providers, social workers, and people in the community who've suffered from the crisis.
medium.com/@BetoORourke/b…
All candidates, Trump included, should move toward similar proposals.
