By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Approximately 100 medical professionals met to discuss the growing opioid addiction crisis in the state at a recent workshop held by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The workshop, “The Crisis Next Door,” brought together physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and other professionals to educate them on treating individuals with an opioid addiction and discuss efforts to help change the trajectory of the problem in the state.
Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, says health care providers in the state and across the country play a significant role in the opioid crisis.
“Approximately 80 percent of individuals who are affected by heroin got their start from prescription painkillers,” Shah said.
The public health department is still compiling data for 2016, but, so far, it attributes 1,826 deaths related to opioid overdose. Shah anticipates the number could reach approximately 2,200, up from 1,382 in 2015.
“We have reason to believe that the increase will continue in 2017 as we are seeing more and more potent and poisonous heroin on the street,” Shah said.
The group also discussed the challenges it has encountered in treating patients with opioid substance abuse problems and explored new avenues for changing the trend in the state.
“What we’re really doing now is making sure all of our efforts across the state, across the various different actors, whether they be governmental or nongovernmental, are really coordinated with each other,” Shah said.
Shah noted an important outcome of the meeting was equipping medical professionals with information on how to navigate federal regulations on certain prescriptions that can be used to treat individuals with opioid-use disorder.
This was the department’s second workshop in the series. It plans to hold at least one more.
