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California Chiropractors Applaud Senator Patricia Bates for Raising Awareness and Seeking Statewide Solutions for the Opioid CrisisCalifornia Chiropractic Association (CCA) - The California State Legislature has designated September as Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, led by Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates in an effort to inform consumers, policymakers and providers about America's prescription opioid epidemic and encourage conservative care as a first option to safely and effectively relieve pain. "As a former social worker, I know firsthand how substance addiction has devastated lives," says Senator Bates, serving Orange (News - Alert) and San Diego Counties. "Millions are addicted to or abusing prescription painkillers and they aren't the only ones suffering. This resolution is the first step in providing education statewide that opioid abuse is more prevalent and is resulting in a grave and costly public health crisis." In 2015, more than 300 million opioid prescriptions were written in the United States and attributed to nearly 34,000 deaths. Drug overdoses kill more people in one year than the number of motorvehicle fatalities in the United States. Drug addiction often begins with opioid prescriptions for pain. Seventy-five percent of new heroin users were first addicted to a legally prescribed prescription opioid. Most people who are addicted to opioids cannot reduce use without help. The long-term damage to individuals and families is highly detrimental. "We applaud Senator Bates' efforts on behalf of all Californians to help combat the opioid crisis and thank her for introducing this important resolution on our and their behalf," says CCA President Leslie Hewitt, DC. "As longtime advocates of drug-free management of back, neck and neuro-musculoskeletal pain, the chiropractic profession is aligned with this important initiative and committed to actively participating in solving the prescription opioid addiction crisis. Pain management should begin with noninvasive, nondrug therapies such as chiropractic care as a first-line option to reduce pain for those who are suffering." California's new Opioid, Heroin, Fentanyl, and Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month is sponsored by CCA, supported by Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association and San Diego County Sheriff's Department and will be included in the official California Legislature observance calendar. CCA is a Sacramento-based statewide, nonprofit organization of doctors of chiropractic and allied industries representing the chiropractic profession. Established in 1928, CCA's mission is to position doctors of chiropractic to improve the quality of life of all Californians. Our vision is that all Californians have a chiropractic doctor on their health care team. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170915005583/en/ |
