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February 24 - 29, 2020: Opioid Use Disorder Awareness Week
February 11, 2020
WHEREAS, the opioid crisis is a public health epidemic in Michigan and across the United States, contributing to addiction, overdose emergencies, and deaths; and,
WHEREAS, opioid use disorder is a chronic health condition that affects tens of thousands of Michiganders, but with treatament, recovery is possible; and,
WHEREAS, the nation’s opioid crisis impacts all areas of Michigan, including urban, suburban, and rural communities, and all ages, and is unprejudiced in its reach and devastation; and,
WHEREAS, deaths from overdose are preventable, and the effective treatment of opioid use disorders can reduce the risk of overdose significantly; and,
WHEREAS, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that of the 2,599 drug overdose deaths in Michigan in 2018, 2036 were opioid-related, a modest decline from 2017, but still more than double the number just five years earlier; and,
- , the State of Michigan continues to see the rate of infants born with drug-exposure increase, with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reporting 932 cases of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in 2017, up from 863 in 2016; and,
- , the State of Michigan employs a public health framework guided by the principles of prevention, treatment, and harm reduction to drive the state’s efforts to address the opioid epidemic; and,
- , these efforts are supported by Executive Order 2019-18 that established the Michigan Opioids Task Force, which will coordinate the opioids crisis response across state government, make every available resource in fighting this crisis, and engage the public and external stakeholders with subject-matter expertise in developing effective response plans; and,
- , these efforts are held accountable to the State of Michigan’s goal of cutting opioid overdose deaths in half by 2024;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim February 24-29, 2020, as Opioid Use Disorder Awareness Week in Michigan.