Governor Baker Statement on New CDC Guidelines to Reduce Opioid Prescribing

Statement

Today, Governor Charlie Baker released the following statement regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new guidelines that urge general doctors to consider alternative treatments such as physical therapy, exercise and over-the-counter pain medications before prescribing opioids for chronic pain:

"A day after signing into law landmark legislation to fight the Commonwealth's opioid epidemic, I welcome today's new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to encourage doctors to prescribe fewer opioids and focus on safer, alternative treatments for chronic pain. The Baker-Polito Administration is dedicated to combating the deadly opioid and heroin epidemic at the state level, recognizing that one bill, one budget or one program will not be enough to curb this public health crisis. Yesterday, I was honored to sign an opioid bill that includes the first law in the nation to limit an opioid prescription to a seven-day supply for first time adult prescriptions, and other important prevention and education provisions recommended by our opioid working group--and we encourage other states to do the same. Recognizing that patients living with chronic pain need access to treatments that will relieve their suffering, I encourage physicians to adopt these new guidelines and discuss alternatives to addictive opioids with their patients. It will take all levels of government and intense involvement from law enforcement and the health care community to bend the trend and I encourage all doctors to practice these new guidelines as we continue to break ground in passing more reforms to eradicate the opioid epidemic."

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