BOB SALSBERG, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts is in the midst of an epidemic of deadly opioid abuse, according to a task force created by Gov. Charlie Baker that said Monday that drug addiction must be considered a medical disease.
The 18-member group released a total of 65 recommendations in the areas of prevention, education, intervention, and treatment and recovery, after holding a series of meetings around the state in recent months.
“Over the past decade, more than 6,600 members of our community have died because of opioids, and behind those deaths are thousands of hospital stays, emergency department visits, and unquantifiable human suffering inflicted upon individuals, families and our communities,” the task force said in an overview of its report.
Baker began a Statehouse news briefing on the report by introducing Janis McGrory of Harwich, who lost her 23-year-old daughter, Liz, to an accidental heroin overdose in 2011 and is featured in one of several public service television announcements that recently began airing.
McGrory said education was the key to preventing addiction and keeping other families “from suffering the horrible pain of losing a child or a sibling.”
Baker said he expected the overall task force plan to require $27.8 million in new state funding to implement, and said that there could never be a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem.
“Opioid addiction is a health care issue,” he said. “It knows no boundaries across race, age, class or demographics.”
The governor cited national statistics showing that four out of five heroin abusers started on painkillers. The task force’s recommendations include strengthening the state’s prescription-monitoring program and requiring education in safe prescribing practices. It also calls for appointing addiction specialists to state boards that oversee doctors, nurses, physician assistants and dentists.
The task force, which was chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and included Attorney General Maura Healey, seeks a change in the state’s civil commitment law that would allow an individual with a substance abuse problem to be taken, involuntarily if necessary, for assessment.
The police chief in the coastal city of Gloucester recently began a program that allows users to turn over their drugs without fear of arrest as long as they agree to enter treatment on the spot. The report did not specifically mention that program, but treatment and recovery was clearly a focus of the study group.
“We are not going to arrest or incarcerate our way out of this,” Healey said.
Calling for an end to the stigma surrounding addiction, Sudders said it must be treated as a chronic medical disease no different than diabetes, heart disease or others illnesses.
The report also calls on the Legislature to make the anti-overdose drug naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, more affordable for first responders through bulk purchasing programs.
Opioid education prevention programs in public schools and during mandatory student athletic meetings. Baker cited evidence that many young athletes become addicted to painkillers after sports injuries and recounted how he told his own son, a college football player, to use pain medication as sparingly as possible after he broke his arm in a game last year.
The report said 100 new treatment beds are needed by July 2016 and calls for an increase in the number of office-based opioid treatment programs in community health centers. Another recommendation calls for partnering with a major pharmacy for a drug take-back program that would allow people to return unused painkiller medication
“This epidemic has already torn apart too many families and communities in the Commonwealth,” said Lt. Governor Polito. “This report contains recommendations that were carefully and thoroughly collected from every corner of our state and we look forward to taking swift actions to combat the opioid epidemic.”
“While opioid addiction is an urgent problem, it is also a chronic medical disease, not unlike diabetes or heart disease,” said Sudders. “The solution requires a strong public health approach focusing on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. We must also target education and awareness about the potential misuse of opioids to students and their families.”
“I commend Governor Baker, Attorney General Healey and the entire Opioid Working Group for their leadership and dedication to address the public health crisis of opioid misuse, abuse and addiction. Their multi-pronged approach to prevent addiction before it takes hold and create opportunities for people with opioid use disorders to get the treatment they need to deal with this chronic health issue sends a powerful message that combatting the epidemic is a state priority,” said Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) “I will continue to work on a bipartisan basis in the U.S. Senate to advance my ‘Good Samaritan’ legislation to protect individuals who save a life by administering overdose reversal drugs like naloxone and my TREAT Act, which would help eliminate the outdated laws that limit a physician’s ability to treat opioid dependent patients with medication assisted therapies. To help prevent prescription painkiller dependency that too often becomes heroin addiction, we need to ensure that physicians are appropriately educated in best practices for pain management and methods for diagnosing and treating a substance use disorder. I look forward to partnering with Governor Baker and leaders in the Commonwealth to reduce the harms and deaths associated with opioid misuse and addiction.”
