The nationwide opioid epidemic is dominating news, and the effects on Ohio residents are especially devastating.
The opioid death rate spiked 13 percent between 2014 and 2015, among the largest increases in the country. Ohio officials say that the drug epidemic is a main reason for the 19 percent increase in the number of children placed in foster care since 2010.
The fight to reverse the economic and personal toll on our communities will take many years and resources. Federal and state officials are finding ways to limit access to opioids and expand treatment services.
- S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) teamed up for several recent bipartisan pieces of legislation to:
- Raise the cap on beds at residential treatment facilities covered by Medicaid from 16 to 40, increasing in-patient treatment coverage
- Help U.S. Customs and Border Protection keep the synthetic opioid fentanyl out of the country. Fentanyl-related overdoses have more than doubled, according to a report from the Ohio Department of Health.
- Ohio will receive $26 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These funds, allocated from the 21st Century CURES Act passed in December 2016, will support prevention, treatment and recovery services.
- Ohio Governor John Kasich introduced a plan that limits primary care physicians and dentists to prescribing opioids for no more than 7 days for adults and 5 days for minors. The plan also requires doctors to provide a specific diagnosis and procedure code.
As new legislation and funding help combat the epidemic’s long-term effects, Signet Screening can help your company protect its investment in the short term. We’ll partner with you to perform drug screens for both prospective and current employees.
Ask us which testing methodology – urine, hair or saliva screening – works for your pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, DOT testing and return to duty testing needs.
