Overdose/Substance Misuse Repository

U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and PensionsWRITTEN TESTIMONYAs politicians, the natural response to a crisis like this is to look about for things you can do quickly, to show constituents you’re taking action.I would caution, however, against acting too quickly, and especially in believing only in short-term responses to this problem.Everything I’ve learned […]

In the 2000s, addiction to prescription painkillers exploded into one of America’s worst drug epidemics. The growing number of prescriptions for powerful opioid medications, most notoriously OxyContin, helped facilitate the development of severe dependency among millions. While these drugs are very effective at treating the symptoms of both severe and chronic pain, they are also […]

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in America and has been classified as an epidemic by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[i] Every 14 minutes, an American dies from a drug overdose – leading to 100 deaths per day in the U.S.[ii][iii] In fact, today, unintentional prescription opioid overdoses […]

Statewide Drug Overdose TrendsIllinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) data shows 2,278 drug-related overdose deaths during 2016. This represents a 44.3percent increase over the 1,579 drug-related overdose deaths thatwere reported by IDPH for 2013.Of the 2,278 Illinois statewide drug overdose deaths during 2016, over 80 percent (1,826) were opioid-related fatalities.The 1,826 opioid-related overdose deaths represents […]

A variety of surveys and data systems other than the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) collect data on substance use problems and mental disorders. It is useful to consider the results of these other studies when discussing NSDUH data. This document briefly describes one of these other data systems that publish state […]

This report presents final 2016 U.S. mortality data on deaths and death ratesby demographic and medical characteristics. These data provide informationon mortality patterns among U.S. residents by variables such as sex, race and ethnicity, and cause of death. Life expectancy estimates, age-specific death rates, age-adjusted death rates by race and ethnicity and sex, 10 leading […]

CBS Interactive Inc.U.S. deaths from drug overdoses skyrocketed 21 percent last year, and for the second straight year dragged down how long Americans are expected to live.The government figures released Thursday put drug deaths at 63,600, up from about 52,000 in 2015. For the first time, the powerful painkiller fentanyl and its close opioid cousins […]

Opioids—prescription and illicit—are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 42,249 deaths in 2016, and opioid overdose deaths were five times higher in 2016 than 1999.In 2016, the five states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose were West Virginia (52.0 per 100,000), Ohio (39.1 per 100,000), New […]

By: Casey Bischel Tribune News ServiceKey provisions in fighting opioid abuse were signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner, but the bill is less stringent than an earlier version written in March.Doctors and other prescribers, or their designees, will now have to check the state Prescription Monitoring Program the first time they write an […]

Contact Elizabeth [email protected] Video of the event will be posted here.Governor’s opioid task force delivers programs to attack overdose surgeCHICAGO (Dec. 5, 2017) — Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced the launch of a statewide helpline to provide immediate assistance for those impacted by addiction to opioids and other substances.The helpline will provide a confidential outlet […]