GUEST VOICES: Small Steps in Opioid Epidemic

2018 opioid legislation on right track, but CA still miles short of real care.

Ramon Castellblanch, Ph.D., President, Quality Healthcare Concepts, Inc.

This year, the California legislature and governor took small steps toward alleviating the opioid epidemic that is plaguing our state. Action on the epidemic is desperately needed. In the past three years, more Californians have died of opioid overdoses than were killed in the Viet Nam war and the death rate could still be rising. In 2016, roughly 350,000 Californians abused and/or were dependent on opioids, putting them at high risk of a fatal overdose. These latter Californians are said to suffer from opioid use disorder (OUD).

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