Contact: Rob Horowitz 401-829-8595
National and state advocates today praised Representative Carole Fiola (D-6th Bristol District), state legislative leaders, and Governor Healey for the adoption of state legislation incorporating in required training for medical practitioners the importance of discussing with patients the risks of opioid dependence and the availability of effective non-opioid alternatives before an opioid painkiller is prescribed. Signed into law by the governor this past Friday, the legislation (H.5143) also ensures non-opioid pain relief alternatives are adequately covered by health insurers, widely expands access to opioid reversal drugs. and strengthens treatment for Massachusetts’ residents going through recovery.
The advocates called on the Massachusetts legislature to take the next step: pass legislation making these life-saving conversations between prescribers and patients a requirement in the new session. The advocates noted that Representative Fiola, who was instrumental in the adoption of the expanded training requirement, is poised to re-introduce her bill that would make a conversation, along the lines taught in the training, mandatory upon first and third opioid prescription. This legislation advanced through both Joint Health Committees in the recently concluded session but was not included in the final package.
“Thanks to Representative Fiola and other legislators, Massachusetts has taken a major step forward in the battle to curb the opioid epidemic, significantly upgrading its required medical practitioner training to emphasize safe prescribing best practices and boosting health insurance coverage for non-opioid alternatives,” said Elaine Pozycki, founder of Prevent Opioid Abuse, a national organization working to educate patients and parents about the risks of opioid-based pain relievers and the availability of non-opioid alternatives. “Now, I call on the Massachusetts legislature to take the next step and require that patients are warned about the risks of dependence and the availability of effective non-opioid pain relief alternatives when it matters most—at the point of prescription.”
Tony Lagreca, the host of the award-winning local Courage to Hope radio show and podcast, on WMEX Boston, which serves as a sounding board for Massachusetts families impacted by the opioid crisis, said, “I praise Representative Fiola, legislative leaders and Governor Healey for taking steps that are essential to preventing more Bay state residents from going down the too often deadly road to opioid dependence and addiction. Now, let’s finish the job by coupling better training with ensuring that all patients and parents are armed with the information they need before an opioid is prescribed.”
Representative Carole Fiola said, “Together with my legislative colleagues, I am proud that we were able to make meaningful progress in addressing the opioid epidemic, improving training for medical practitioners in safe prescribing and ensuring more robust health insurance coverage for effective non-opioid pain relief treatments, including new medications that are coming on to the market, but there is more to do. I will continue to advocate for warnings about addiction risks before an opioid painkiller is prescribed to ensure proper medication education for patients”.
Opioid overdoses are still taking the lives of more than 2,000 Massachusetts residents each year.
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