Opioid Epidemic

Policies are available to ensure that healthcare services are rendered appropriately (Lamb et al., 2015). Policies depend on available healthcare challenges and issues that may require urgent consideration (DeMarco & Tufts, 2014). A health issue that has risen to the presidential level in the United States of America is the opioid epidemic. Opioid use and addiction have been long-term issues in the country. This health issue endangers many people’s health and negatively impacts the economic output and national security. The health topic is considered a crucial issue. Whenever the president declares opioid addiction a national emergency, the healthcare sector is sure to have treatment and recovery resources for the affected population.

Social Determinants of Health

Two social determinants of health related to health topics. Level of education plays a crucial role in determining the type of decisions an individual shall make regarding opioid usage or seeking healthcare interventions. There are higher chances of individuals with a low level of education being at a higher risk of misusing opioids. The individual may not understand the effects and may not have the opportunity of making the necessary decision to seek immediate healthcare interventions. The second social determinant of health is income (Islam, 2019). Low-earning individuals may have limited chances of fully utilizing the available treatment and resources that lead to positive outcomes. Low-income earners may not have enough to purchase private health insurance to facilitate accessing the required healthcare services.

How did Presidents Trump and Biden Handle the Issue?

The recent presidents enacted much effort in ensuring the opioid emergence issue has been resolved. For instance, during President Trump’s reign, numerous statements, reforms, and declarations were made to ensure that the affected population could receive necessary healthcare help. In October 2017, the president declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency. The declaration was followed by the formation of the Commission for Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis; the commission’s role was to inform the country on how best to address the issue. In November 2019, he signed an executive order allowing the federal government and agencies to have strategies to prevent opioid overdose-related deaths. The declaration made it possible to have an increased supply of overdose reversal medications such as naloxone, making treating opioid overdose an easy journey.

In the current era, President Biden has also contributed to addressing the health issue by proposing $4 billion to be channeled to address the opioid epidemic in the country. It is evident that the effects of the opioid epidemic are devastating to the communities, and the funds shall be crucial for addressing the issue. President Biden has also encouraged an increment in the accessibility of the overdose reversal drug that is naloxone. The president has expanded the available resources and accessibility to resources. Naloxone is a safe and effective medication for reversing the effects of opioids and can be used or provided by anybody regardless of the medical foundation.

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What would I have done differently?

Like President Trump, I would have declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. By doing so, it could be easy to access additional resources. Other willing agencies will contribute to ensuring that the issue is resolved. I would also consider ensuring that the affected population gets the necessary support. I would focus on expanding the treatment and resources that shall ensure that there is unlimited access to available resources and ensure the achievement of quality health outcomes. Treatment and recovery across the country are essential for individuals struggling with addiction. I shall also focus on ensuring that the research institutions conduct studies on how the issue can be managed effectively.

References

DeMarco, R., & Tufts, K. A. (2014). The mechanics of writing a policy brief. Nursing Outlook, 62(3), 219-224. https://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-6554(14)00057-8/fulltext

Islam M. M. (2019). Social Determinants of Health and Related Inequalities: Confusion and Implications. Frontiers in Public Health, 7, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00011

Lamb, G., Newhouse, R., Beverly, C., Toney, D. A., Cropley, S., Weaver, C. A., … & Peterson, C. (2015). Policy agenda for nurse-led care coordination. Nursing Outlook, 63(4), 521-530. https://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-6554(15)00183-9/fulltextLinks to an external site.

     More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that opioids—a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications and heroin—were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014 (Office of the Press Secretary, 2016). More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that opioids—a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications and heroin—were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014(Office of the Press secretary, 2016). The opioid epidemic has been an ongoing crisis for years. People from all ages and walks of life have been affected by opioid misuse. There are several social determinants that affect the opioid epidemic such as the neighborhood where the person resides, access to healthcare, access to food, safe housing, quality education, and economic well-being (MN Dept. of Health, n.d.).

President Trump and Barack Obama have both made proposals to help the opioid epidemic, In 2016, Obama made a proposal of $1 billion in new funding to address prescription opioid and heroin abuse (Press Release, 2016). This funding will boost efforts to help individuals with opioid use disorder seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery (Office of the Press Secretary, 2016). The program was created during the Obama administration and subsidizes state Medicaid programs that provide insurance coverage for roughly 40% of Americans receiving opioid addiction treatment (Mann, 2020).

In 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. He declared 3 parts under his opioid crisis plan. Part 1 consisted of reducing overprescription and educating patients on the dangers of misusing opioids. Part 2 focused on the supply chains through international and domestic drug supply. Part 3 provided Americans with treatment and recovery support services for those struggling with addiction. As of October 2018, the Trump Administration had secured $6 billion in new funding over a two-year window to fight opioid abuse (Mann, 2020).

What I would do differently would be to mandate treatment services in jails, prisons, and hospitals. For instance, if you were in the hospital for an opioid overdose, I would mandate all persons to attend outpatient or inpatient treatment. I would have more recovery centers and mental health services to help. Many persons with opioid addiction struggle with mental health so they turn to drugs. Providing more mental health services can help prevent opioid overdoses, addiction, misuse, and deaths. For persons who have drug charges in detentions, I would mandate treatment and recovery centers upon release. I would organize outreach resources that will go out to shelters and to the streets recruiting persons for treatment recovery. Both presidents secured a substantial amount of funds to help the opioid epidemic. I would use the same funds but within mandates.

References

Social Determinants of Substance Use and amp; Overdose Prevention – MN Dept. of Health. (n.d.). https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/opioids/prevention/socialdeterminants.htmlLinks to an external site.

Cummings Praises President Obama’s Proposal to Address Prescription Opioid and Heroin Abuse. (2022, September 7). House Committee on Oversight and Reform. https://oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-praises-president-obama-s-proposal-to-address-prescription-opioid-and

FACT SHEET: President Obama Proposes $1.1 Billion in New Funding to. (2016c, February 4). Whitehouse.Gov. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/02/02/president-obama-proposes-11-billion-new-funding-address-prescription

Mann, B. (2020, October 29). Opioid Crisis: Critics Say Trump Fumbled Response To Another Deadly Epidemic. NPR.Org. https://www.npr.org/2020/10/29/927859091/opioid-crisis-critics-say-trump-fumbled-response-to-another-deadly-epidemicLinks to an external site.

Ending America’s Opioid Crisis –. (n.d.). The White House. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/opioids/

Pain has always been one of the most critical healthcare issues that providers address regularly. In doing so, many have been introduced to and left to struggle with opioids. In the nineties, many pharmaceutical companies insisted to physicians that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers (Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs (ASPA), 2021). The opioid crisis has, therefore, been recently addressed as a crisis and made a core topic in political debates that have reached the presidential level. With prevention being the main target when fighting substance abuse, previous administrations have attempted to carry out plans that have the same goal via different strategies. These strategies have similar approaches, although certain implementations were unique to every administration. According to (House, 2022), the administration of our president, Joe Biden, has focused efforts on investing billions of dollars in expanding resources allocated to support strategic organizations and entities. The predecessor administration of former president Donald Trump developed plans to reduce over-prescription, targeting supply chains and extending education campaigns and evidence-based treatment (Ending America’s Opioid Crisis –, n.d.).

The efforts that the scientific community, healthcare professionals, and legislators have carried out for decades to fight the opioid crisis tell about their dedication to the issue. We must always ask ourselves and our colleagues how to improve and work together to solve the problems plaguing our communities. We must also target the difficulties from which opioid abuse stems. It would be ideal to see researchers encountering new methods to address pain without relying on substances and that we can receive the full support of the government and other entities to develop them. That is what I would consider doing differently if I had the opportunity of bringing my voice to a presidential administration. That is why it is so important to learn how to bring up research to our legislators and effectively communicate their importance so they can help move the engines of our nation to get us on the right path.

References

Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs (ASPA). (2021, October 27). About the Epidemic. HHS.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

House, T. W. (2022, September 23). FACT SHEET:  Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions and Funding to Address the Overdose Epidemic and Support Recovery. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/23/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-and-funding-to-address-the-overdose-epidemic-and-support-recovery/Links to an external site.

Ending America’s Opioid Crisis –. (n.d.). The White House. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/opioids/

        According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, n.d.) opioids are defined as “a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription” (para. 1). The opioid epidemic has been an ongoing issue in America that countless policymakers have attempted to spearhead with no real victory. The economic cost alone of $120 billion dollars in loss of productivity related to drug abuse treatment, overdose, and imprisonment portrays the sheer effect opioid abuse has on our economy as a whole (Office of National Drug Control Policy, para. 2). Opioid abuse and misuse are straining our resources in terms of healthcare, employment, and our communities.

Social determinants of health (SDOH), are factors that impact where individuals live, learn, and grow (World Health Organization, n.d.). Given this opioid epidemic is affected by numerous social determinants of health, I feel education quality is a prevailing social determinant that most affects this health issue. Education is at the route of several other factors that affect the opioid epidemic problem such as healthcare access, one’s built environment, and economic stability. If one’s quality of education is poor their health literacy can in turn be diminished which can ultimately affect the lifestyle decisions one makes and their level of growth both physically and mentally.

In 2015, President Obama announced that prescriber training would be implemented to over 540,000 health care providers in order to educate prescribers in proper opioid prescribing (Office of the Press Secretary, 2015). The Obama administration also improved access to treatment by means of investing in drug overdose prevention strategies, greater access to treatment programs, as well as additional access to naloxone which is an opioid overdose reversal medication. Similarly, President Trump released his initiative to halt opioid abuse in 2018 and focused on decreasing over-prescription through providing education to Americans about opioid misuse and abuse, cutting down on drug supply chains, and providing aid to those struggling with recovery support (The White House, n.d.). If I were to make a change in regard to the opioid epidemic I would start downstream in lower and higher education. Students should be educated about opioid misuse and abuse and recognize the signs of addiction and the dangers associated with opioid addiction. Children will grow up to be adults and some children may even face opioid addiction in their own home, it is essential that they can recognize the issue, repercussions, and recovery and/or treatment options. If we provide our society with this knowledge early on in our lives even teaching it within health classes, we may have hope in decreasing opioid addiction in our future population.

References

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Opioids. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/opioids

Office of National Drug Control Policy. (n.d.). How Illicit Drug Use Affects Business and the Economy. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ondcp/ondcp-fact-sheets/how-illicit-drug-use-affects-business-and-the-economy

Office of the Press Secretary. (2015). Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Announces Public and Private Sector Efforts to Address Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Use. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/21/fact-sheet-obama-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector

The White House. (n.d.). Ending America’s Opioid Crisis. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/opioids/

    So why is agenda setting important to the health care professionals such as ourselves? For quality health care and to advocate on behalf of the nursing profession and patients. This opens the doors to power brokers and decision-makers.(The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 2017)For this discussion, obesity is the topic chosen mainly because it is the root of so many chronic conditions. While Obama was president they put together a “let’s move campaign” and the goal was to create practical tools tailored to children and their families facing a wide range of challenges and life circumstances. (American Public health association & Goodman, 2009)One of the main pillars was putting healthier foods in schools, I remember this- do you?

    On the other hand, President Trump in 2017 announced that schools would no longer have to meet some of the requirements. previously mandated which could have possibly hindered the prevention of childhood obesity in the United States. (Duramy, 2018). Of course these are only examples and the problem is way bigger than just food in schools. What would I have done differently?? I really believe the restructuring of “health class” would be a great start. Showing kids what can happen to them if they make bad choices and not choosing a healthy lifestyle. I think kids need to be a little afraid of this. Obviously, it begins at home and the parents need to promote healthy behaviors.

References

American Public health association & Goodman, A. (2009). President Obama’s health plan and community based prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 99(10), 1736–1738. https://doi.org/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govLinks to an external site.

Duramy, B. F. (2018). Child Obesity, School Food Environments and the Best Interests of the Child. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://doi.org/digitalcommons.law.ggu.eduLinks to an external site.

The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. (2017). Influencing health care in the legislative arena. OJIN. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol12No01Man02