The number of opioid overdoses have doubled in Pueblo County. Help save lives by making opioid treatment available to those seeking help.
The fight against opioid addiction remains a largely pressing issue across our country. The horrifying and very real epidemic has spread so far and so wide it’s likely you yourself know someone who has either died, or is currently suffering from opioid addiction. A Senate Bill 74 is assisting in the fight in Southern Colorado for proper opioid treatment.
The issue is particularly worrisome in Colorado. In 2015, there were 259 deaths from what officials call “natural” prescription opioids (hydrocodone and oxycodone). The number of drug overdoses outnumbered homicides in Colorado. In 2016, that number has grown to 517.
According to the CDC, addiction to opioids like heroin, morphine, and prescription painkillers is classified as one of the top epidemics in our country. From 2000 to 2015 over half a million people died from drug overdoses. An alarming 71 Americans die every day from some form of opioid overdose.
Though it is only home to about 6% of the state’s population, Southern Colorado is proving to be the worst area for these opioid additions. According to the Denver Post, in Pueblo County, deaths from overdose doubled between 2012 and 2015.
Addictions form in many ways. Typically, those who become addicted start out with prescription painkillers, and move toward stronger and cheaper means of feeding their addiction. It seems the path of eliminating harmful prescription opioids by way of more natural and alternative means will be a slow path. Despite this, there IS something that can assist in more effective opioid treatment.
Senate Bill 74 was created to establish a two year pilot program through the College of Nursing, at the University of Colorado. This program aims to expand access to life-saving medication-assisted treatment to ease away from addition. Through proven controlled medication distribution and behavioral therapy treatments, this program will reduce the need for inpatient detoxification services.
This program will train both nurse practitioners and physician assistants on how to properly implement treatment to addicts. The medication will be Buprenorphine, which has been described in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016. The FDA approved Subutex® (buprenorphine) and Suboxone® tablets (buprenorphine/ naloxone) in October 2002.
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Fudala, et al. New England J Medicine 349(10)-949-958, 2003.[/caption]
At the moment, very few medical professionals are able to prescribe Buprenorphine, though it’s been proven to assist in reducing addition and is pretty successful as a treatment. This is due to government restrictions and caps on how many patients are allowed this rehabilitation drug. The doctors that are permitted to prescribe BUP are capped at 30 patients per year, an alarming amount compared to the growing opioid deaths nationwide. Senate Bill 74 will assist in breaking those barriers down so the treatment may be offered across the region under a regulated and structured program.
The goal is to treat opioid addiction while alleviating the effects of withdrawals and preventing relapses. With the help of this program, Pueblo county and other regions across Southern Colorado would move to head the efforts to combat opioid drug overdoses. Overall, this would save numerous lives.
