HPIO brief outlines next steps for Ohio policymakers to address addiction crisis

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) –   he Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new policy brief, “Taking Action to Strengthen Ohio’s Addiction Response.”

The publication is the final brief in the HPIO Addiction Evidence Project and includes: 

• An update on where Ohio stands on addiction-related trends 
• A summary of Ohio’s addiction policy strengths, gaps, challenges and opportunities
• A prioritized set of nine policy recommendations

“Over the past 20 years, Ohioans have pulled together to address the complex challenges of addiction in unprecedented ways,” the brief states. “Now, with pending opioid settlements on the horizon, there is an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of Ohio’s efforts to date and plan for what should happen next.”

The brief offers three steps Ohio policymakers can take immediately to address fentanyl overdoses; three reforms to the criminal justice system that over next two years can support recovery and employment; and three longer-term recommendations to continue to strengthen Ohio’s prevention-treatment-recovery continuum.

Since 2018, HPIO has cataloged and assessed state-level policy changes and identified strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement on a range of substance use topics. In the coming weeks, HPIO plans to release a series of related fact sheets on:

• Addiction and race
• Addiction and geography
• Refocusing Ohio’s approach to overdose deaths 

Founded in 2003, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio is as a nonpartisan and independent statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to health policy analysis.

For any questions about the analysis, or if you would like to talk with the authors of the report, please call or text Nick Wiselogel at 614.530.9918 or email nwiselogel@hpio.net.

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