Bottle of spilling medicine

In 2018, an estimated 21.2 million Americans, aged 12 and older, needed treatment for a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), but only 3.7 million received any kind of treatment and only 2.4 million received treatment at a specialty facility – a disparity known as the ‘treatment gap’

This ‘treatment gap’ is one reason the United States lost over 70,000 people to a drug overdose in 2017. There is an urgent need in our nation to identify substance use problems before they develop into substance use disorders, increase access to treatment, make treatment services and care more widely available and ensure services provided are evidence-based and high quality.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recently released the President’s National Drug Control Strategy and the accompanying National Treatment Plan, an evidence-based framework to increase Americans’ access to high-quality SUD treatment and support those in long-term recovery.

Carefully monitoring provider and patient opioid prescription patterns, along with recommending alternative pain management methods and addiction treatment, can impact the opioid epidemic and save lives. As a healthcare community, we can address and prevent misuse or abuse by collaborating to promote awareness, monitor opioid prescribing and evaluate impact. Join the Great Plains Quality Care Coalition to get involved and learn more. Better together.

Join Today!

Source: 1. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)