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Last updated on Thursday, March 31, 2016
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana State Department of Health has received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help prevent overdose deaths related to prescription opioids as part of the CDC’s Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program.
"As we have seen here in Indiana, opioid overuse is a problem that many people struggle with," said State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. "This funding will help us gather data to inform strategies on how to prevent opioid overdoses." Dr. Adams is also a member of the Governor's Task Force on Drug Enforcement, Treatment and Prevention, which was created by Governor Mike Pence to combat drug abuse and addiction in Indiana.
The CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control has expanded itsPrevention for States program to an additional 13 states this year to help turn the tide on the prescription drug overdose epidemic. Funding will support enhancements to INSPECT, the Indiana prescription drug monitoring program at the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency; improvements to opioid prescribing practices, prevention efforts at the state and community levels to address new and emerging problems related to prescription drug overdoses and a partnership with the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health to evaluate opioid prescribing practices in Indiana.
The Indiana State Department of Health will use this funding to expand the Indiana Violent Death Reporting System. The expansion will provide additional data regarding opioid overdose at the county level and will help inform prevention efforts and expand use of data for public health surveillance.
The Prevention for States program is a part of CDC's ongoing efforts to scale up prevention activities as part of a national response to the opioid overdose epidemic.Prevention for States provides resources and support to advance comprehensive state-level interventions for preventing prescription drug overuse, misuse, abuse and overdose.
For more information about Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States, visithttp://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/states/state_prevention.html.
Visit the Indiana State Department of Health at www.StateHealth.in.gov for important health and safety information, or follow us on Twitter at @StateHealthINand on Facebook at www.facebook.com/isdh1.
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