The Indiana chapter of Volunteers of America, which administers the
residential substance abuse treatment program called Fresh Start, has recently
purchased a building in Columbus, Indiana, which will be developed into a
23-bed residential facility. The facility will provide substance use disorder
treatment for expectant women and mothers and is set to open in 2019. The
program already has centers in Indianapolis and Winchester. Visit Next Level Recovery
to view all available treatment centers in Indiana.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that analyzes
data from more than 11,000 opioid overdose deaths between July 2016 and July 2017
in 11 states (excluding Indiana). The data have shown that most opioid overdose
deaths involved illicit opioids only, and 17.4 percent of deaths involved
prescription opioids only. Bystanders to the overdose, who could have potentially
intervened, were documented in 44 percent of deaths; laypersons rarely carried
and therefore rarely administered naloxone. To acquire naloxone in Indiana,
visit optIN
and search for locations near you. The majority of local health departments
across Indiana distribute free naloxone.
Hospitals might be facing opioid shortages as government regulations
tighten on opioid production, such as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposal
to reduce opioid manufacturing for 2018 by 20 percent. The shortage may have negative
consequences for patients who are admitted to the hospital with poorly controlled
pain; patients who have undergone painful procedures, such as major surgeries; as
well as those receiving cancer treatment.
Between 2015 and 2018, two industrial cities in Massachusetts have seen
a surge of new HIV cases among people who use intravenous drugs. The majority
of cases were among white men between the ages of 20 and 39, and 90 percent of
them had also been infected with hepatitis C at some point in their lives. This
outbreak is akin to the HIV outbreak that occurred in Scott County, Indiana, in
2015. This serves as a reminder that this can happen in any community unless efforts
are made to reach those who are often outside the scope of medical care.
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