Think You’re Doing Enough to Curb Addiction in Your Community? Think Again

Despite the best efforts of many clinicians—including urgent care providers—to reduce incidence of opioid addiction and the death and shattered lives that follow in its wake, federal official are taking the unprecedented step of asking providers to screen every adult they see for illegal drug use. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says there is simply not enough being done by the very people who write prescriptions for potentially addictive drugs. So, they’re asking all healthcare providers to screen every patient over the age of 18; there’s not enough evidence to decide whether the same action should be taken with adolescent patients at this time, however. The agency is seeking public comment before issuing its formal recommendation; if you’d like to share your expertise in the service of ensuring that the objectives of reducing addiction and saving lives are met, visit the U.S. Preventive Health Services Task Force’s dedicated web page here. As recently as 2017, a national survey revealed that 11.5% of Americans 18 or older were using illegal drugs; 8.5% of pregnant women aged 18 to 44 had used illicit drugs in the past month. That same year, 70,237 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S. For an urgent care-specific discussion of what you can do, starting today, read The Potential Role of Urgent Care in Addressing the Opiate Epidemic in the JUCM archive.