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| Overdose patient Photo by Pixabay from Pexels |
The recipient of two Mayor's Excellence awards, officer David Marks is a former chief of police of the City of Langley, Washington. While in this position, officer David Marks supervised the maintenance of all department vehicles and contributed to addressing the issue of the current opioid epidemic by creating a naloxone policy. He also distributed naloxone to officers, which was later used by one of the officers to save someone who was overdosing on heroin.
A growing issue with devastating consequences, the American opioid epidemic involves the widespread abuse of both non-prescription and prescription opioids. In 2016, over 42,000 deaths were reported to be caused by opioid misuse. Policymakers have been using the information received from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to create public awareness of the crisis and raise awareness of the need for prevention and treatment in communities across the nation.
Opioid overdose has resulted in many health complications as well as death, and many families are affected by opioid use disorder. In some cases, it results from a patient's addiction to drugs that were essential for treating chronic pain. In pregnant women, opioid abuse has caused a series of fetal disorders such as neonatal abstinence syndrome, in addition to maternal mortality. Currently many approaches, such as education programs, have been established to address this crisis.
Efforts have also been made by Congress, the current administration, and by state governments to mitigate the opioid epidemic. These efforts include legislation and regulatory schemes, including those designed to limit the availability of prescription opioids.
