Treating The Opioid Epidemic in the United States

Abstract

The United States is now currently facing the incredibly harmful and invasive effects of the Opioid Epidemic, which can be observed in nearly every community and corner of the country. In order to address this national crisis, the United States must establish equitable and effective programs that improve access to rehabilitative and harm-reductive services. I plan to explore the effects of the Opioid Epidemic on three communities in the northeast: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York State, and the measures that these communities have implemented to combat the epidemic respectively. From April 2017 to April 2021, fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths increased by approximately 168.37%, and as of 2022, fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths have reached greater than a total of one million. I hypothesize that illicit fentanyl is the main driving force behind the perpetual increases in annual drug overdose deaths, and will explore the methods by which the United States can lessen the impact of the Opioid Epidemic through the development of emerging public health measures, policies, and practices. Specifically, valuable emerging harm-reductive practices such as Narcan (naloxone) and safe injection sites will be explored. With the goal of establishing a national health insurance program, the Medicare for All Act of 2019 would expand the powers of the Medicare system with the goals of achieving universal entitlement and enrollment, freedom of choice, non-discrimination, and comprehensive benefits for all. I will discuss pieces of this policy in order to examine how the implementation of these individual aspects may be beneficial in assisting in the dispersion and implementation of harm-reductive and rehabilitative techniques across the country. Finding a remedy to the Opioid Epidemic in the United States is urgent.