Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. From July 2016 to September 2017, Indiana’s emergency departments saw a 35 percent increase in opioid overdoses, according to data released this month from the CDC. The most dramatic increases occurred in metropolitan areas like Indianapolis. These numbers indicate that the opioid epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. And they point to a continued need for efforts to address opioid use disorder in Marion County and across the state. Toward that end, Indiana Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Jim McClelland and Social Services Administration Secretary Jennifer Walthall announced this month a […]

Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “Abusers.” “Reckless criminals.” These are the words of one pharmaceutical executive to describe the hundreds of thousands of Americans with opioid use disorder, uncovered in a wave of litigation facing the nation’s leading drug makers and sellers for their contributions to the opioid crisis. As these investigations bring more information to light, they are sure to change the way Americans think about the opioid epidemic. That’s good news. For too long, the stigma surrounding opioid use disorder has been a barrier to adopting public policies that treat the disease of addiction and prevent drug overdoses and death. Reluctance […]