Opioid dependence is a major healthcare issue in the US and the world at large. Opioid medication is addictive since they bind with areas of the brain that control emotion and pain to increase the feeling of euphoria for the users (Nelson, Juurlink & Perrone, 2015). The US is currently faced with an opioid epidemic as by 2018, about 10.3 million Americans from the ages of 12 misusing opioids (CNN, 2020). Increasing misuse has led to drug dependence and overdose. In 2017, it was estimated that more than 130 people died daily from opioid-related drug overdose (CNN, 2020). As such, it is important to support a bill that mandates the use of substitution therapy for opioid dependence to mitigate opioid dependence and overdose and deaths.
I choose to seek the legislator’s support because he introduced the opioid workforce act of 2019, showing he was interested in combatting the opioid pandemic (govtrack, 2020).
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He is also good at convincing people to get their support as 16 of his 26 bills have gotten bipartisan cosponsors who increase the chance of getting a bill ratified (govtrack, 2020).
He also introduced several bills, thus has the experience which is needed since years of coordinated and vigilant and sustained efforts are required to contain the epidemic (Nelson, Juurlink & Perrone, 2015).
The bill mandating the use of substitution therapy for opioid dependence has significant implications for both the nursing profession and the patients. Nurses are best equipped to assess a patient’s pain and manage it (American Nurses Association, 2018). The bill will change nurse’s education to prepare them to work towards reducing opioid prescriptions and the epidemic. It will also aid the patients who need pain management by offering substitutes to opioids that will reduce their chances of becoming drug-dependent on opioids.
The opioid epidemic in the US is widespread, and there is much need to remedy it. A vote for using substitution therapy for opioid dependence will aid in mitigating opioid overdose and deaths. By changing the policy, the healthcare and nursing profession will see a significant decrease in opioid misuse if they are coordinated, vigilant, and sustain these efforts to mitigate opioid dependence.
References
American Nurses Association. (2018). The opioid epidemic: The evolving role of nursing. ANA Issue Brief 2018, 1-14.
CNN. (2020). Opioid crisis fast facts. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html
govtrack. (2020). Rep. Bradley Schneider’s 2019 report card. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/bradley_schneider/412534/report-card/2019#
Nelson, L. S., Juurlink, D. N., & Perrone, J. (2015). Addressing the opioid epidemic. Jama, 314(14), 1453-1454 .
