ASPE Issue Brief: Opioid Abuse In The U.S. & HHS Actions To Address Opioid-Drug Related Overdoses & Deaths

On March 26, 2015, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new initiatives to increase the use of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, increase the use of medication-assisted opioid dependence treatment, and increase state adoption of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) to monitor opioid prescribing practices. Funding for the initiative is included in the President'’s 2016 budget. The goal is to reduce prescription opioid- and heroin-related overdose, death, and dependence. This report was written by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). It describes the current and proposed initiatives . . .