Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, at a joint session of Pennsylvania House and Senate lawmakers, today will address the Commonwealth’s opioid and heroin epidemic.
According to the governor’s office, last year over 3,500 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose. That is 10 deaths a day, up from the more than 2,500 reported deaths in 2014. Substance use disorder affects people from all walks of life, which is why Wolf said he is searching for effective, broad, bipartisan support and solutions.
Among the changes Wolf said he would like to see, include:
- more resources
- a requirement of prescribers to check the Prescription Drug Monitoring Database every time they prescribe opioids and limit the opioid quantities that emergency room patients can be prescribed at one time
- a requirement that medical professionals receive updated education about opioids and pain management
- a requirement that public school students be taught about opioid miuse
- a requirement insurance carriers make abuse deterrent opioids more affordable
- establish a voluntary directive for patients, who don’t want to prescribe opioids
“After consultation with legislative leaders, I believe we can make a profound impact by working together this fall to combat the opioid and heroin epidemic in our commonwealth,” Wolf said in the statement.
Do you think more government-funding will help solve the heroin, opioid crisis?
