Baker Unveils Plan To Fight Drug Abuse
Calling it a public health emergency, Gov. Charlie Baker has unveiled the first steps his administration plans to take in fighting heroin and prescription drug abuse and addiction.
During a stop Thursday at the Hope House treatment center in Boston, the governor announced the first-ever public release of data the state collects on the number of prescriptions written for painkillers and overdose deaths in each county.
Baker says the information will help identify ``concerning'' behavior, such as the number of people who are receiving opioid prescriptions from different doctors and having them dispensed from different pharmacies.
The governor also has formed a 16-member task force assigned to develop a statewide strategy for dealing with addiction, treatment and recovery. The group will hold four public hearings and submit recommendations in May.