Bowden, Nicholas

Coustasse, Alberto, Dr.PH. MD,MBA

Katamneni, Sruthi

Merino, Rachel

English

Marshall University

Marshall UniversityMarshall Digital ScholarManagement Faculty Research Management, Marketing and MISFall 11-10-2017The Cost of Opioid Epidemic in West VirginiaRachel MerinoNicholas BowdenSruthi KatamneniAlberto Coustasse Dr.PH. MD,MBAcoustassehen@marshall.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/mgmt_facultyPart of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations CommonsThis Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Management, Marketing and MIS at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been acceptedfor inclusion in Management Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contactzhangj@marshall.edu, martj@marshall.edu.Recommended CitationMerino R, Bowden N, Katamneni S and Coustasse A. The Cost of Opioid Epidemic in West Virginia. Poster presented at: The LewisCollege of Business Research Day; 2017 Nov 10; Huntington, WV.•ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of this research was to examine and analyze the cause of the opioid epidemic and subsequent responses to it in the state of West Virginia.Methods: The methodology for this paper mainly followed a literature review of 37 articles from 2009-2017 followed by a semi-structured interview with a licensed physician in the state of West Virginia.Results: The U.S. is facing a nationwide epidemic, with the epicenter being West Virginia with the highest rates of overdoses accounting for 41.5 deaths for 100,000 people among the 33,091 deaths in 2015. The number of people injecting drugs has increased from 36% in 2005 to 54% in 2015. A grant of $5.8 million was awarded to West Virginia for the State Opioid Response for providing more than 4,000 of the two-dose kits that were dispersed to high-priority areas. The total U.S cost of prescription opioid abuse in 2011 has been estimated at $25 billion, and criminal-justice-system costs to $5.1 billion. But the largest cost has been related to the workplace, which has accounted for $25.6 billion, in the form of lost earnings and employment.  The reasons for this opioid epidemic incidence in WV have been a combination of sociocultural factors, including a depressed economy, low employment, lack of education, and a high rate of prescribing and dispensing of prescription opioids. These strategies were evaluated through a systematic literature review and semi-structured interview that displayed a broad array of tactics used in West Virginia that have struggled to keep up with the rate of related opioid overdoses. Conclusion: The current efforts implemented to address the opioid epidemic have led to increased education and awareness about overdose reversal and safe prescribing practices. While the overdose rate continues to climb, the number of strategies employed is increasing. Over the next few years West Virginia will spend time initiating new strategies and expanding upon old ones with the addition of federal funding.OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this research was to examine and analyze the cause of the opioid epidemic and subsequent responses to it in the state of West VirginiaHYPOTHESISThe primary hypothesis of this study was that if physicians continue to over prescribe opioids for chronic pain then more individuals are at risk for developing opioid dependence; therefore, increasing the likelihood of substance use disorders and potential overdosesThe secondary hypothesis of this study was that if physicians abruptly stop prescribing opioids then patients are at risk for entering withdrawal; therefore, increasing the likelihood of obtaining opioids through illegal prescriptions or using illicit opiates such as heroin.• BACKGROUND• Historically opioid medications, used for the treatment of chronic pain, were viewed as non-addictive substances• Staggering 33,091 deaths per the total 2015 U.S. population occurred due to opioid overdose• In the U.S, approximately 240 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in the year 2015 which accounted for one for every adult in the general population.THE COST OF OPIOID EPIDEMIC IN WEST VIRGINIARachel Merino, M.S; Nicholas Bowden, M.S: Sruthi Katamneni, B.D.S, M.SAlberto Coustasse, Dr.PH. MD,MBA, MPHMANAGEMENT AND HEALTHCARE-LEWIS COLLEGE OF BUSINESSRESULTSFinancial Impact of Opioid Epidemic in the U.S• West Virginia received a $1 million federal grant that implemented a project that provided more than 4,000 of two-dose kits that were dispersed to high priority areas• The economic burden caused in West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky as a result of criminal justice costs, loss in worker productivity and treatment has accounted for $2.72 billion annually.• Nationally, the loss of productivity, premature death, unemployment and incarcerated individuals have accounted for $42 billion every year.• In 2014, 61,000 of West Virginians have used prescription medications for non-medical purposes which included 6,000 teenagers.• 116 million American had suffered with the persistence of pain from weeks to years and has resulted in a financial crisis ranging from $560 billion to $635 billion per year in Medical Treatment lost productivity.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS:The current efforts implemented to address the opioid epidemic have led to increased education and awareness about overdose reversal and safe prescribing practices. While the overdose rate continues to climb, the number of strategies employed is increasing. Over the next few years West Virginia will spend time initiating new strategies and expanding upon old ones with the addition of federal funding.Figure 1: CDC’s Checklist for Prescribing Opioids in Primary Care Financial Impact of Opioid Epidemic in West Virginia• West Virginia has been at the epicenter of this epidemic with the highest rates of overdose, 41.5 deaths per 100,000 people• The reasons for this opioid epidemic incidence in WV have been a combination of sociocultural factors, including a depressed economy, low employment, lack of education, and a high rate of prescribing and dispensing of prescription opioids.• One underlying factor that has escalated West Virginia’s opioid epidemic has been the disproportionate number of jobs requiring manual labor, like the coal mining industry jobs.  These dangerous occupations commonly held by West Virginians has led to more frequent opioid prescriptions to treat the injuries associated to these labor-intensive jobs.DISCUSSION• There has been significant impact on the society with the drug abuse with respect to clinical and economic burden. • The three main contributing factors to the opioid epidemic have been 1) the mental health status of the state’s population, 2) labor intensive occupations, and 3) the financial incentive that accompanies the distribution of prescription opioids and illicit opiates, both legally and illegally.• Lack of robust research and resources hampered many of the existing programs and prevented their scale-up. Law enforcement and political actors also have opposed the initiatives for the fear of enabling or sanctioning illegal drug use, while witnesses of overdoses involving illegally-obtained drugs avoided summoning emergency response

The Cost of Opioid Epidemic in West Virginia

https://mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&amp;context=mgmt_faculty

The Cost of Opioid Epidemic in West Virginia

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