Rauner, Hultgren Tout Drug Overdose Grant

A press release from Governor Bruce Rauner:

Illinois awarded CDC funding to combat prescription drug overdose

CHICAGO– The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded the State of Illinois one of sixteen available four-year grants to prevent overdose deaths related to prescription opioids as part of the CDC’s Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program. The grant is worth $3.6 million over four years.

This funding will support Illinois over the next four years in implementing prevention strategies to improve safe prescribing practices, reverse the trend on the prescription drug overdose epidemic and give priority to drivers of the prescription drug overdose epidemic, particularly the misuse and inappropriate prescribing of opioid pain relievers.

The funding supports the following strategies:

  1. Enhance and maximize Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs;
  2. Improve opioid prescribing practices;
  3. Implement prevention efforts at the state and community level aimed at preventing overuse, misuse, abuse and overdose; and
  4. Implement “Rapid Response Projects” to address new and emerging problems related to prescription drug overdose.

While the primary purpose of the funding is the prevention of prescription drug overdoses, it also presents opportunities of advance surveillance and evaluation efforts to understand and respond to the increase in heroin overdose deaths, especially at the intersection of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use.

As a funded state, Illinois will track heroin morbidity and mortality as an outcome of its work and have opportunities to evaluate policies with implications for preventing both prescription drug and heroin overdoses.

Receipt of this grant allows Illinois to focus on enhancing and empowering community-level prevention and implementing health system improvements to reduce overdose risk. The community interventions will include coordinating intensive prevention efforts in high-burden communities and working with local health departments to disseminate analyses of prescribing and overdose trends. As part of a peer-review function of the PMP Advisory Committee selected members will participate in drug utilization review and adherence to national standards on opioid utilization.

Here is a related press release from Congressman Randy Hultgren:

Hultgren Hails Illinois Grant to Fight Painkiller Overdose

Has Helped Lead Charge against Suburban Opiate Abuse

Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today hailed the news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded the State of Illinois a $3.6 million, four-year grant to prevent overdose deaths related to prescription opioids as part of the CDC’s Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program.

Randy Hultgren

Randy Hultgren

“As we determined at my Community Leadership Forum on Heroin Prevention, we cannot underestimate the dangerous link between heroin and opiate painkillers,” said Rep. Hultgren.

“Our community action plan demonstrated that fighting heroin overdose deaths must include tackling prescription drug abuse and overdose. It is clear our communities in Illinois have demonstrated the expertise needed to earn this grant from the CDC, and I am hopeful this program will bolster our efforts to stop opiate overdoses across the state.”

Since convening his Community Leadership Forum on Heroin Prevention in Geneva in 2014, Rep. Hultgren has been a leader in the fight to stop the epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse:

Following the Community Leadership Forum on Heroin Prevention, he released a community action plan based on the forum discussions aimed at developing a community-based solution to the epidemic. Many communities are already implementing the recommendations put forth.

  • He submitted the plan to both former Governor Quinn’s Young Adults Heroin Use Task Force and the Illinois House Bipartisan Task Force on the Heroin Crisis, as well as to Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) who has investigated the issue.
  • The National Association of REALTORS® has recognized Rep. Hultgren for his recommendation to them to encourage homeowners to take proactive steps to make sure prescription drugs are secured prior to public open houses.
  • He has continued to support encourage community-wide efforts across the district, such as the March Heroin Solutions Forum held at the VFW Overseas Post 1197 in Batavia, and the April Hero Helps Community Summit, where he highlighting the challenges and successes shared by Will County and northern Illinois in fighting the epidemic of heroin and opiate abuse.

Comments

Rauner, Hultgren Tout Drug Overdose Grant — 3 Comments

  1. Is there a sick conspiracy relative to the open open southern border along with “a pill for everything” medical profession in the U.S.A.?

    Apparently the path is heroin is most frequently started with prescription drugs.

    When the prescriptions run out, the addict turns to ‘street’ heroin.

    Why is ‘street’ heroin so affordable?

    Open borders and we kicked the Taliban out of Afghanistan.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-heroin-is-so-cheap-2014-2

    Now the solution is to prevent deaths from heroin overdoses?

    Is this convoluted logic?

    What I find dreadful is a member of Congress putting an adhesive bandage on a problem which requires a tourniquet!!

    Seal the borders!!

    Also, almost every ‘shooter’ who was involved in a ‘mass killing’ or even on-screen shooting was taking prescription drugs for a mental problem.

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