Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Initiative to Combat Opioid Painkiller Abuse

Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Initiative to Combat Opioid Painkiller Abuse – Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Gibbs and Chief Policy Advisor Feinblatt Announce New Emergency Room Guidelines to Prevent Opioid Prescription Painkiller Abuse New Report from Mayor’s Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse Issues Guidelines and Creates RxStat to Combat Opioid Abuse and Overdose Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs and Chief Policy Advisor John Feinblatt today released the initial report of the Mayor’s Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse, which includes new voluntary emergency room guidelines for the prescription of opioid painkillers to prevent abuse. The guidelines, which will be used in all of the City’s public hospitals, state that the emergency departments will not prescribe long-acting opioid painkillers; can only prescribe up to a three-day supply of opioids; and will not refill lost, stolen or destroyed prescriptions. Between 2004 and 2010, the rate of opioid painkiller-related emergency department visits nearly tripled in New York City, rising from 55 visits for every 100000 people to 143 and the guidelines are designed to reduce prescription abuse and overdose by encouraging judicious prescribing, patient education, referral to primary care and treatment for substance abuse when needed. The guidelines are also designed to prevent an excess supply of opioid painkillers. We know that three out of four people abusing painkillers obtain them from leftover medications. In addition to the …