"Commentary: There’s a Better Way to Fight the Opioid Crisis. Why Aren’t We Focusing On It?" - Yasmin Hurd, MD
President Donald Trump last month officially declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency under federal law. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines a public health emergency as “an emergency need for health care [medical] services to respond to a disaster, significant outbreak of an infectious disease, bioterrorist attack or other significant or catastrophic event.” As a scientist heading an addiction institute I have seen the quiet storm that has grown into a tidal wave that has engulfed America. The president took an important step in addressing this and should be commended for it. But if he hopes to actually resolve the opioid crisis, he’ll need to use the power of his office to help the scientific and medical communities find viable, non-addictive alternatives to opioids, Dr. Hurd commented.
- Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chair, Ward-Coleman Translational Neuroscience, Director of the Center for Addictive Disorders, Mount Sinai Health System