The Pain Opioid Ecosystem provides an overview of the various stakeholders, rules and environment that impacts on the complexity of the challenge.
How do I fit into the Pain Opioid ecosystem?
In order to actively participate in our politics, locally, state and nationally (Globally) we need to be informed about political and public institutions, our representatives and other government officials. My Political Ecosystem provides easy access to your specific ecosystem from local to national as well at the tools to actively participate in our democracy.
What can I do to make a difference in my ecosystem?
Our representative system of government is based of We the People actively taking part in our government. There are many ways that we can all be engaged to make our collective life better. We provide suggestions for tools you can use to participate and make a difference. The Pain- Opioid Ecosystem section includes an overview of the multiple stakeholders and relationships associated with Pain and its treatment and opioid painkillers and heroin. Topics are geared to individuals, professionals and organizations.
The United States has experienced a steady increase in the number of individuals who die of opioid overdoses in the past decade. In addition to the tragic cost of the opioid use/ abuse, millions of Americans suffer with chronic debilitating pain. The increase has coincided with a dramatic increase in opioid use, prescribed by medical professionals to treat pain disorders. As the annual number of prescribed opioids soar to over 200 million, and the overdose deaths associated with their use climbs to over 20,000 deaths a year, policymakers and other stakeholders have been struggling with how to limit the risks of these medications while at the same time keeping them available for people in pain.
How do policymakers balance those conflicting forces as they consider more restrictions on opioids?
Government Response: HHS, CDC, NIH, IOM,
Politicians:
Position on prevention of Opioid Related topics
Position on health care services for people with the various conditions
Efforts to get people into treatment rather than jail
Vision: Establish a vision for the individual, community, nation and the international community
Humanizing the epidemic: Focusing on the individual suffering with pain and addiction & confronting stigma associated with their condition
Primary and secondary prevention*: Reducing the supply of non medical opioids and preventing the initiation and misuse of nonmedical opioid use
Pain disorders: Appropriate acute and chronic pain management and medical use of opioids
Opioid use disorder: Best practice, scientifically informed addiction prevention, abuse and dependence treatment
Harm reduction: Preventing and reducing harm associated with opioid use, including eliminating overdose mortality and morbidity associated with opioid use
"The War on Drugs": A criminal justice system that reflects scientific understanding of opioid use and targets criminal elements associated with the pain-opioid epidemic.