EXCERPT
The head of the state's addictions agency said Tuesday that data showing a record high number of deaths from prescription painkillers and other drugs in 2011 is one more reason to expand the federal-state program for poor children and families.
Nearly five Ohioans died every day from overdose deaths in 2011, most of them attributed to continued abuse of painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone as well as rising abuse of heroin, according to Department of Health data released last week.
The Health Department data show the number of people who died of accidental overdoses jumped 14 percent in 2011 for a total of 1,765 overall deaths.
The increase comes as Ohio has launched numerous efforts to crack down on illegal prescription painkiller use and distribution. That includes shutting down clinics throughout southern Ohio dubbed "pill mills" where addicts pay cash for painkiller prescriptions — and sometimes the pills themselves — after undergoing only cursory medical exams.
The state has also been promoting use of medications aimed at controlling addictions. Earlier this month, officials announced the opening of the Health Recovery Services Southern Ohio Treatment Center in Jackson. The center offers patients counseling and anti-addiction medication.
In October, the state changed the way doctors can bill Medicaid for an expensive painkiller addiction treatment, a move that boosted use of the drug in Ohio.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Ohio-addictions-chief-addr...
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At the Root, all suffering is ultimately derived from Ignorance.
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I Am
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