Regular Session 2019-2020 House Resolution 0487 P.N. 2431

PRINTER'S NO. 2431

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

487

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY ISAACSON, PYLE, DiGIROLAMO, HOHENSTEIN,

BENNINGHOFF, BURNS, CALTAGIRONE, T. DAVIS, DEASY, DeLUCA,

EVERETT, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GOODMAN, HARKINS, HARRIS, HEFFLEY,

HILL-EVANS, HOWARD, KAUFER, KORTZ, KOSIEROWSKI, LONGIETTI,

MALAGARI, McCLINTON, McNEILL, MERSKI, MILLARD, MURT, NEILSON,

O'MARA, PASHINSKI, POLINCHOCK, RAVENSTAHL, RIGBY, SAINATO,

SANCHEZ, SCHLOSSBERG, SCHWEYER, SNYDER, STAATS, STRUZZI,

ULLMAN, VITALI, WARREN, WEBSTER, WILLIAMS, YOUNGBLOOD AND

ZABEL, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

A RESOLUTION

Designating the week of September 16 through 22, 2019, as

"Prescription Opioid/Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, The heroin and opioid epidemic continues to be a

major, if not the most serious, public health challenge in this

Commonwealth and nationally; and

WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, prescription opioids became a

popular course of treatment for chronic and acute pain; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, the volume of prescriptions for opioid

painkillers peaked, making the United States the highest opioid

prescribing country in the world; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, an increase of 286% in opioid/heroin-

related deaths was reported; and

WHEREAS, Recent data indicates that approximately 80% of new

heroin users began their drug use with prescription opioids,

usually legally prescribed; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the opioid crisis gained national attention

when the sharpest rise in opioid/heroin-related deaths was

reported; and

WHEREAS, Accidental drug overdose is now the leading cause of

death in the United States for individuals under 50 years of

age; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug

Abuse, there were more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in the

United States, with 47,600 of the fatalities involving opioids;

and

WHEREAS, In 2017, approximately 134 Americans died daily

because of accidental drug overdose, averaging 900 drug overdose

deaths per week; and

WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, the National Institute on Drug

Abuse reported that in 2017 the age-adjusted rate of drug

overdose deaths increased by 16.9% from 2016 to 2017; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, health care providers in this Commonwealth

wrote 57.7 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons compared

to the average nationwide rate of 58.7 prescriptions for every

100 individuals; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, Pennsylvania was ranked first in the nation

for absolute drug overdose deaths, losing 5,388 residents, many

of whom battled a substance use disorder; and

WHEREAS, Nearly every community in this Commonwealth has been

traumatically affected by the opioid/heroin epidemic, which has

transformed neighborhoods, left children without parents, torn

families apart and taken the lives of young adults; and

WHEREAS, Within this Commonwealth, the City of Philadelphia

has been hit hardest by the opioid/heroin epidemic, accounting

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for one in five drug overdose deaths in this Commonwealth in

2017; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, Allegheny County experienced a record-

breaking 652 overdose deaths; and

WHEREAS, The opioid/heroin overdose crisis is not exclusive

to urban communities, as rural families and communities have

also been devastated; and

WHEREAS, The number of infants born with neonatal abstinence

syndrome has risen proportionately to the opioid/heroin

epidemic, with 3,354 infants exposed to drugs in the last 12-

month period; and

WHEREAS, This Commonwealth's foster care system has also been

impacted by the opioid/heroin epidemic, with 10,749 children

placed in foster care in 2016 because of parental substance use

disorder or opioid/heroin overdose; and

WHEREAS, The rates of HIV, Hepatitis C and other diseases

associated with injection drug use have increased in this

Commonwealth and nationwide; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, it was estimated that the total financial

impact of the opioid/heroin epidemic in this Commonwealth was

$53.8 billion, including costs for health care and substance use

disorder treatment, criminal justice system costs and costs

related to a decrease in workforce productivity; and

WHEREAS, Costs associated with the decrease in workforce

productivity alone were estimated at $1.1 billion; and

WHEREAS, In response to the opioid/heroin epidemic, the

Commonwealth instituted a variety of prevention and intervention

strategies to combat substance use disorder and accidental drug

overdose; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the General Assembly passed legislation

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directing the State's medical boards to develop regulations to

implement a curriculum for safe prescription of controlled

substances containing an opioid; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the General Assembly approved legislation

which gives patients the right to complete a patient voluntary

nonopioid directive to refuse the prescribing or administration

of a controlled substance containing an opioid; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, the General Assembly also passed

legislation that limits the amount of controlled substances

containing opioids that can be prescribed to a minor, limiting

the amount in most circumstances to a seven-day supply; and

WHEREAS, The authorization of a "standing order" ensures that

individuals who are at risk of experiencing an opioid-related

overdose, or individuals' family members or friends, can obtain

naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, without a prescription; and

WHEREAS, In January 2018, Governor Tom Wolf signed the first

Statewide opioid disaster declaration, which provided for the

establishment of an opioid task force, created a team of

representatives from each State agency to find new, pioneering

strategies to combat the opioid/heroin epidemic and increased

funding for substance use disorder prevention, treatment and

intervention; and

WHEREAS, Single county authorities across this Commonwealth

have developed policies and procedures to ensure a "warm

handoff" of survivors of opioid/heroin-related drug overdose to

provide a simplified pathway from overdose to treatment and to

prevent relapse; and

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth's Prescription Drug Monitoring

Program provides prescribing practitioners further oversight in

regard to a patient's prescription history to better protect

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patients' health and the safety of communities; and

WHEREAS, As a result of this Commonwealth's aggressive

approach to find solutions to the opioid/heroin epidemic,

preliminary data shows a decline in the number of opioid/heroin-

related overdose deaths in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, A 12.5% decrease in overdose deaths was reported

between 2017 and 2018, while data from 2018 alone shows a 20%

decrease in opioid/heroin-related overdose deaths; and

WHEREAS, While this Commonwealth operates under the sixth

renewal of the opioid disaster declaration, robust programs and

funding should continue to be devoted to the most effective

prevention, treatment and intervention services for individuals

who continue to struggle with substance use disorder; and

WHEREAS, Efforts must be made to extinguish the debilitating

stigma that surrounds mental health and behavioral health,

including substance use disorder, which so often deters

individuals from seeking treatment; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives acknowledge the

devastating impact that the opioid/heroin epidemic has inflicted

on families, children, young adults and communities across this

Commonwealth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives continue to work

to find solutions to the opioid/heroin epidemic and the

prevention of substance use disorder; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives continue to raise

awareness of the possible consequences of the misuse and abuse

of opioids, other controlled substances and prescription drugs;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the

week of September 16 through 22, 2019, as "Prescription

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Opioid/Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania and

encourage all Pennsylvanians to remember and stand with

individuals, families and communities that have been impacted

adversely by the opioid/heroin epidemic.

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