Drug Overdose Prevention Information

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August 27, 2019

Here are your weekly opioid epidemic updates from the Indiana State Department of Health:

Jim Carroll, national drug czar, visits Indiana

The head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Jim Carroll, visited Indiana last week to meet with Governor Holcomb and discuss Indiana’s initiatives to combat the drug epidemic. Preliminary data from the CDC shows Indiana saw over a 12 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in the last year, which was almost three times the national decline. State and federal leaders discussed the continued priority of expanding access to substance use treatment facilities, especially in rural communities.


Grants awarded to support research on opioid use during pregnancy

pregnant woman

Researchers from Indiana University, along with others from across the United States and Sweden, have received more than $1.6 million to study opioid use among pregnant women and the effect on children. The researchers want to determine if there is a relationship between mothers who use prescribed opioids during pregnancy and adverse outcomes for their children, which include preterm birth, reduced fetal growth, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder. The results of this project could potentially refine the current guidelines for prescribing opioids for pregnant women.


Another hurdle to addressing opioid addiction: Getting the drug to treat it

Current research on buprenorphine hurdles has focused on the fact that not enough medical providers are certified to write buprenorphine prescriptions. Getting pharmacists involved in distributing buprenorphine may contribute to filling this gap in care. In fact, increasing pharmacists’ involvement may be more important than persuading doctors to prescribe it. While prescribers may be writing prescriptions for buprenorphine, pharmacists serve as the “gatekeeper” and may not distribute buprenorphine for a variety of reasons. Even when pharmacies do distribute buprenorphine, wholesalers require pharmacies to order the drug in small, frequent batches, leading to stocking issues.


New study on prescribing fewer opioid medications after an operation

prescription pills

A new set of guidelines developed by researchers at the University of Michigan have found that prescribing fewer opioids after operations did not lead to more patient discomfort. The study, which decreased the opioid prescription size for nine different surgical procedures from 26 to 18 pills, found no clinically important changes in pain scores. Seven months after the guidelines were implemented, prescription size (i.e. the number of pills in a prescription) declined significantly.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Webcast: Training for First Responder Diversion Programs

August 29, 1:00 p.m. ET
The Bureau of Justice Assistance invites you to a webinar that will discuss the need for first responder training specific to diversion programs for individuals with an opioid and substance use disorder. The webinar will discuss potential topics that could be included in diversion training and methods for providing it. Register here.

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Marion County Re-Entry Coalition

- Thursday 8/29 at Southeast Community Services (901 Shelby St.
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Tuesday 9/3 at Eagle Branch Library (3905 Moller Road)

All sessions will take place from 6 to 8 p.m.

Marion County Re-Entry Coalition will be holding forums across the city for any and all faith-based organizations looking to improve the lives of people affected by the justice system. All faith-based organizations working with the re-entry population are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP by emailing info@communitysolutionsinc.net with your name, organization, date of session you wish to attend, and the total number of people attending.

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Webcast: Tailoring an Opioid Overdose Prevention Program for Drug Courts

This webinar, hosted by SAMHSA's GAINS Center, will discuss tailoring standardized opioid overdose prevention trainings for drug court practitioners using SAMHSA's Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit. Practical considerations will be covered, such as how to integrate an opioid overdose response team into the drug court calendar, administering naloxone, and prevention training delivery. Register here.

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Indiana Addictions Issues Coalition Recovery Month Event

September 7, 10:30am
The Indiana Addictions Issues Coalition will host its Recovery Ride and Rally event, which will include their annual motorcycle ride. There will also be a family canal walk, followed by speakers, food vendors and live music at historic Military Park. General admission to the event is free. The flyer for the event can be accessed here. If you or your organization would like to be a sponsor or exhibitor for the event, email Jodi Miller at jmiller@mhai.net.

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PACE Recovery Month Event

September 27, 12:00 p.m. ET
The PACE Recovery Resource Center is hosting a celebration and 5k walk in honor of Recovery Month. See the attached flyer for more information. The event, which will take place in Indianapolis, is free and open to the public.