INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mike Pence released new directives to various state agencies based on recommendations from his Drug Task Force meeting in Evansville last week.
The directives are aimed at improving child education on substance abuse; making Narcan more readily available to medics responding to heroin and prescription opiate overdoses; and improving the prescription process for pain pills.
John Hill, co-chairman of the task force, said before the meeting last week that prescription drug abuse was a big factor in people becoming addicted to more serious drugs, such as heroin.
Pence created the task force in September as a response to drug abuse in the state, with an eye to the dramatic increase in heroin deaths and an HIV outbreak in Scott County.
One of the main points of discussion at the Evansville meeting was establishing guidelines to regulate prescription medications.
"We've got to do part of the prevention with doctors and dentists prescribing pain meds," Hill said. "When we're talking to the people hooked on heroin, 80 percent of them started by using prescription drugs."
One of Pence's orders was directed to the Indiana State Department of Health to work with doctors, dentists and other health professionals to develop guidelines to follow when it comes to prescribing acute pain medications.
The governor also directed the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to find possible gaps in the availability of Narcan and high-overdose areas. Hill said some rural areas may be underserved.
Other directives from Pence included: a collaborative effort between various state boards on new rules regarding chronic pain prescriptions; directing Indiana State Department of Health Commissioner Jerome Adams to create a group of task force members to discuss possible changes to INSPECT, Indiana's prescription monitoring program; and directing appropriate organizations to work on creating age-appropriate substance abuse curriculum for students.
The task force's next meeting will be Nov. 19 in South Bend.