To the editor:

Wellsville is one of countless communities here in Ohio that has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic. As a former member of the city council for nearly eight years, my colleagues and I worked hard to make sure folks had access to the services and resources they needed to beat their addiction. While these efforts helped, our region is still struggling to deal with the losses caused by this crisis.

Despite the awful impact that opioids have had on our community, they continue to be prescribed at an alarming rate. This is especially true for our state’s senior population. Of the 2.5 million Ohioans currently enrolled in Medicare, nearly one in four beneficiaries received opioids. Studies showed that opioid use disorder among those 65 and older tripled from 2017-2021, affecting one million seniors in 2021. Sadly, there are few signs that this trend has or will slow down.

Congress has passed several bipartisan measures over the past few years to help stem opioid use through greater treatment, prevention, and recovery resources for those that need it. But there is still more that Congress can and should do to help end this pervasive and enduring epidemic, including promoting legislation aimed at making Americans aware of and able to access non-opioid alternative pain relievers.

Researchers have been working for a number of years to develop non-opioid medications that help relieve pain without potentially leading to addiction. The success of recent clinical trials suggest that these treatments might soon be approved for use, but there is still work done to ensure that they are accessible and affordable for those who need them.

That’s why a bipartisan group of congressional members have introduced the Alternatives to Prevent Addiction in the Nation Act (Alternatives to PAIN) Act. The legislation will make sure that non-opioid medications are covered under Medicare and that they cost no more than average opioid pain drugs. This legislation would expand treatment options for patients, reduce instances of addiction, and potentially lead to reductions in our nation’s overall medical costs. It would give seniors and their doctors a greater number of choices when deciding how to treat their pain, and ensure they can make decisions that are in the best interest of their health.

Leaders in the Ohio General Assembly should follow Congress’s lead and introduce state legislation that would expand awareness of and accessibility to non-opioid alternatives under our state’s Medicaid program. Studies show that more than 13% of Ohio’s Medicaid population continues to combat an opioid use disorder. We can address this by giving patients greater access to pain treatments without having to worry about cost or serious side effects.

Our community’s battle against opioids is far from over. While expanded services have helped help stem the number of overdoses, we need to use every tool we can to stop this epidemic from taking loved ones away from their families and communities. By supporting and passing the Alternatives to PAIN Act at the federal level and changing the Ohio Medicaid formulary to prioritize non-opioid pain medications, we can fight back against addiction by making non-opioid pain medications economically accessible for those that need them the most.

Let’s help to finally put an end to this crisis by advocating for an addiction- free future.

John Morrow,

Liverpool Township