Ruth Fuster
February 23, 2020
HLTH-705
Opioid Crisis: What Can We Do About It?
In the United States more than 128 people die from an opioid overdose
1
. The addiction
and improper use of opioids which include prescribed pain medicine, heroin and fentanyl- a
synthetic opioid is a severe unrestricted crisis that distresses public health in addition to
economic and social health. The CDC approximates that in the US $78.5 billion is spent on the
problem of prescribed opioid misuse alone, along with healthcare expenditures and treatments
for addiction (Opioid Overdose Crisis, 2020). This is a complex issue that has converted into a
public health emergency with overwhelming and devastating consequences incorporating
