LEWISBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine endorsed state AG Patrick Morrisey’s ‘best practices’ for the prescription of opioid painkillers Wednesday, and adopted it for use at its Robert C. Byrd clinic.
At the Byrd clinic in Lewisburg, the school’s president, Dr. Michael Adelman said the attorney general’s plan to reduce the use of opioid painkillers could “turn the tide” against the rash of addictions.
“The recommendation that the Attorney General’s office is putting out provide rational, concrete solutions that will have tremendous effect in our state if broadly used,” he said. “These guidelines are one of the strongest tools our state has to address this crisis.”
Morrisey said his best practice guidelines contain a three-pronged approach to solving the addiction crisis.
“You need to be holistic in your approach. This isn’t just about putting everyone in jail, it isn’t just about education; it isn’t just about treatment. It’s about all of those components. You have to bring it all together in order to address the disease.”
Adelman expressed the hope that the WVSOM’s endorsement would lead other healthcare providers toward adopting Morrisey’s plan.
“If enough providers join us in endorsing and adapting these guidelines, we can see real changes in our communities and better health for West Virginians,” he said.
For those who legitimately need opioid prescriptions for pain, Morrisey made clear that the guidelines do not pertain to them.
“To the extent that there are people who absolutely need to obtain opiates and that’s critical for their medical regimen, these guidelines are not going to impair those efforts,” the attorney general explained. “But we have to do something about the incentives that continue to drive people toward opiates. And that’s why we’ve been so focused on pushing non-opiate alternatives as well.”
The recently finalized project aims to reduce the use of prescription opioids by at least 25 percent.
Morrisey’s best practices plan can be viewed at the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office website. A full video of of Wednesday’s news conference is available on YouTube.