Providing opioid treatment options to fight addiction

By: 
Steve Davission, State Representative District 73
According to the Indiana State Department of Health, from 2015 to 2016, there was a 52 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths, and each month, nearly 100 Hoosiers die from a drug overdose.  
 
Under proposed legislation, up to nine new treatment centers could be opened, greatly improving access to addiction treatment programs throughout Indiana. This would provide Hoosiers more options to begin and sustain their recovery process. The geographic location of these future programs will be important during the approval process to ensure every Hoosier is within an hour drive of an opioid treatment facility.  
 
Additionally, this proposal would provide provisional insurance credentialing to Hoosier mental health professionals who are certified to treat those with addiction when they change employers. This bill would streamline the hiring process for addiction treatment providers, accelerating the delivery of qualified treatment to those who need it.  
 
There is also legislation being considered that would allow the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council to create a pilot program to open state-supported drug treatment programs to individuals who have been charged with a misdemeanor. This option is currently only available to Hoosiers who have been charged or convicted of a felony.    
 
These agenda bills are part of House Republicans’ continued fight against the opioid epidemic. To learn more about these proposals, visit iga.in.gov

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