A new task force that was authorized under a bill from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) has been created by the Health and Human Services Department with the goal of combating pervasive opioid abuse through strengthening best practices among federal agencies.
Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Tom Price has identified the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force as a critical component of the Trump administration’s opioid addiction response plan. The task force will consist of representatives from HHS agencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense, the Office of National Drug Control Policy and non-government representatives that include multi-disciplinary experts and patients.
“I applaud the work of Secretary Price to convene this Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force,” Portman said. “This task force will work to bring together experts in the field of addiction to make recommendations across federal agencies to ensure that we stem addictions caused by the overprescribing or inappropriate use of prescription pain medications.”
The Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task force was authorized in Portman’s bill, the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was signed into law last year.
“As I travel throughout Ohio, it is clear that our state is in a crisis and we need more help,” Portman said. “That’s why this new task force authorized by CARA, legislation I authored last year, is so important to Ohio. As we focus on best practices and provide more resources to address this issue, Ohioans will have better access to addiction treatment and long-term treatment and recovery programs that work. Today we’re taking another important step to finally turn the tide of this epidemic.”
The task force will bring together people with expertise in pain management, pain advocacy, addiction, substance abuse disorders, mental health, minority health, veterans’ health and overdose reversal, including first responders and members of medical boards.
After identifying gaps in current best practices, the task force will make recommendations and give the public an opportunity to comment on them. The task force also will develop a strategy to educate the public about pain management best practices.