In the recent years there has been an increase in the use of Opioids. I would not have realized how big the drug epidemic was if I had not taken the Addiction and Substance Abuse weekend intensive here at the School of Social Work. Throughout the three-day weekend we learned about many different addictions, but one day focused on drug courts and substance abuse and I knew I wanted to learn more. I choose to focus on prescription drugs, mainly opioids, because of how readily available these drug are. Opioids are described as medications that relieve pain. Opioids reduce the intensity of pain signals sent to the brain and diminish the effects of a painful stimulus. Overuse of opioids leads to a tolerance of the medication, physical dependency,
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The CDC developed and published the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, which includes recommendation for prescribing opioids to patients 18 and older in primary care settings. Other efforts being implemented to curb the prescription opioid epidemic consist of the following: Prescription drug monitoring programs were created (but not widely used). More policy options relating to pain clinics to reduce prescribing practices that are risky to patients have been created. There has been an increase in access to substance abuse treatment services, including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), for opioid addiction. There has been opportunities identified to expand first responder access to naloxone, a drug used reverse overdose. There has also been an increase in insurance strategies such as prior authorization, quantity limits, and drug utilization reviews. One last major effort for change is being conducted in New York, which put in a new policy where all prescriptions are sent to patients pharmacies via the Internet instead of using hand-written prescription to curb fraud or theft by people who either change the name on the prescription or change the medicines prescribed dosage. (Opioid Epidemic, 2016) One strategy that Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, and Dewees say is good to use to promote a change is mass media, the skill of …show more content…
It consists of a broad spectrum of practice, including planning, program development, community organizing, policy analysis, legislative advocacy, program evaluation, task-oriented group work, community education, and human services management. Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, and Dewees assert the point that program evaluation are essential to the success of the change in mind. They state,
The evaluation plan provides the details about the instruments and/or data to be collected on a timetable, and the identity of those that will be collected, analyzed, and report on the program data (2014, p.552).
They recommend coming up with a program plan that has goals, objectives, and corresponding evaluation criteria to promote the success of the change by have a set plan. Macro social workers advise government leaders and drive public awareness of the issues micro social workers deal with. They are agents of change in our communities and encompass the core social work
The CDC developed and published the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, which includes recommendation for prescribing opioids to patients 18 and older in primary care settings. Other efforts being implemented to curb the prescription opioid epidemic consist of the following: Prescription drug monitoring programs were created (but not widely used). More policy options relating to pain clinics to reduce prescribing practices that are risky to patients have been created. There has been an increase in access to substance abuse treatment services, including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), for opioid addiction. There has been opportunities identified to expand first responder access to naloxone, a drug used reverse overdose. There has also been an increase in insurance strategies such as prior authorization, quantity limits, and drug utilization reviews. One last major effort for change is being conducted in New York, which put in a new policy where all prescriptions are sent to patients pharmacies via the Internet instead of using hand-written prescription to curb fraud or theft by people who either change the name on the prescription or change the medicines prescribed dosage. (Opioid Epidemic, 2016) One strategy that Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, and Dewees say is good to use to promote a change is mass media, the skill of …show more content…
It consists of a broad spectrum of practice, including planning, program development, community organizing, policy analysis, legislative advocacy, program evaluation, task-oriented group work, community education, and human services management. Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, and Dewees assert the point that program evaluation are essential to the success of the change in mind. They state,
The evaluation plan provides the details about the instruments and/or data to be collected on a timetable, and the identity of those that will be collected, analyzed, and report on the program data (2014, p.552).
They recommend coming up with a program plan that has goals, objectives, and corresponding evaluation criteria to promote the success of the change by have a set plan. Macro social workers advise government leaders and drive public awareness of the issues micro social workers deal with. They are agents of change in our communities and encompass the core social work