Opioids
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued a new patient-friendly resource on prescription opioids.
Every day, hospitals see the devastating effects of the U.S. opioid epidemic. While prescription opioids can be a safe and necessary part of pain management, these drugs also carry serious risks of harm because of the potential for addiction, misuse, overdose and death.
Read the full advisory…
AHA letter to the Department of Health and Human Services regarding medication-assisted treatment for opiod user disorders.
Community Hospital of Monterey (Calif.) Peninsula (CHOMP), part of Montage Health, took action two years ago to address the prescription opioid abuse crisis in its county of some 415,000 residents. The community-wide effort, called Prescribe Safe, has led to a sharp decline in the number of…
Hospitals across the country are addressing their communities’ behavioral health needs, often by working with local organizations to coordinate care beyond the walls of a hospital. Examples of these innovative partnerships can be found in AHA’s Community Connections case studies, among AHA award…
Hospitals, and the women and men who work in them, witness the toll of opioid abuse on patients and the health of their communities every day. In 2014 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 28,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses and at least half involved a…
Hospitalizations for opioid abuse/dependence increased 72% between 2002 and 2012 to an estimated 520,275 per year, while hospitalizations for opioid-associated infections rose 91% to 6,535, according to a study published today in Health Affairs. Intravenous administration of opioids and heroin…
The House Energy and Commerce Committee tomorrow will mark-up various legislation addressing the opioid abuse epidemic. As hospitals see firsthand the effects of the opioid abuse epidemic on patients, families and communities, the AHA today sent a letter to Representatives Fred Upton and Frank…
AHA letter to Representatives Fred Upton and Frank Pallone, Jr. expressing views regarding opioid legislation pending before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.