Michigan is ranked eighth in the country by the Center for Disease Control for opioid-related deaths. The state is working to come up with solutions for this epidemic, including a new website that provides resources and information about opioid abuse in Michigan.
In 2017, more people in Michigan died of opioid overdoses than car crashes. Addiction is only growing across the state, causing leaders to look for new solutions to the public health epidemic.
The state has launched a new website providing information to anyone interested in learning more about Michigan’s opioid crisis.
Laura Biehl is the Communications Director for Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley. She said the website is consolidating all of the state’s information on the opioid epidemic in one area.
“What this did was create a one-stop shop where all the information the state government has to offer related to the opioid epidemic is brought into one spot,” she said, “so that anybody who needs information doesn’t have to spend a lot of time digging for it.”
Biehl said the opioid epidemic is an issue that affects many different state departments, and the government is exploring many possible solutions. She said the state standing order on Naloxone is just one of the ways the state is trying to save lives.
“Now Naloxone, which is the overdose antidote, has been issued as a standing order over the counter, meaning you don’t have to get a prescription for it,” Biehl said. “You can go to your local pharmacy, if they have registered, and sign up. So if, God forbid, you are at risk of an overdose or someone you know is, we can have a chance at saving their life.”
Biehl says the state is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to the issue. She says new resources like the state opioid website and the standing order on Naloxone are just some of the ways the state is trying to combat this problem.
For more information on opioid addiction prevention, treatment, and resources, visit https://www.michigan.gov/opioids