In the latest example of Alabama ranking first nationally in an undesirable poll, a study by Blue Cross Blue Shield shows our state to be the highest prescribing state in the nation for opioid pain reliever prescriptions, according to the Center for Disease Control.
And the problem hits even closer to home with Franklin County ranking ninth among Alabama's 67 counties in opioid prescriptions per capita in 2015, with 1.6 prescriptions written per person.
According to www.drugfreeworld.org, opioids are drugs that act on the nervous system to relieve pain. Opioid drugs bind to opioid receptors on cells in the brain and throughout the body. Some of the more common opioid brand names include Dilaudid, Demerol, Oxycontin and Percocet.
According to the CDC, Alabama also ranks highest in the nation as having more opioid prescriptions than people, with Alabama doctors writing 5.8 million prescriptions for opioids in 2015. Alabama's 2015 population was 4.859 million.
Nationally, 100 Americans die daily from opioid overdose, according to the CDC. In Alabama, opioid overdoses have caused more deaths than overdoses from cocaine and heroin combined.
A recent look at the grand jury indictments in June shows how rampant drug charges are in Franklin County. Although not limited to opioids, of the 50 individuals indicted on felony charges in June 2017, 26 were facing drug charges.
Across Alabama, 26 percent of BCBS commercially insured members filled at least one opioid prescription in 2015, compared to 21 percent nationally. And 6.5 percent of BCBS members were on long-duration opioid regiments in 2015, compared to only 3.8 percent nationally.
And opioid use is a growing problem locally. According to www.thewellnesscoalition.org, Franklin County saw a 6.1 percent increase in filled opioid prescriptions in 2015, earning the county a rank of fourth-highest in Alabama. Cleburne County, which ranked first, saw an alarming increase of 97.4 percent in opioid prescriptions written in 2015.
All of Franklin County's neighboring counties saw decreases in the number of opioids prescribed to their residents, including Marion (-6.6%), Winston (-9.1%), Lawrence (-10.2%), Lauderdale (-12.4%) and Colbert (-14.9%) Counties.
All those prescriptions have also led to an increase in opioid addiction in Alabama, with 16.4 per 1,000 BCBS members having been diagnosed with opioid use disorder in 2016, double the national average of 8.3.
And opioid abuse isn't a male-dominated problem. In fact, the BCBS study shows among those 45 and older, women have a higher rate of opioid abuse than do men.
Among those younger than 45, men have the higher rate, although women fill more opioid prescriptions than men across all age groups.
“We recognize that it's crucial for us to be a proactive partner in the fight against the opioid epidemic in Alabama,” said Dr. Anne Schmidt, Medical Director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. “We strongly support best practices and are collaborating with primary care doctors to appropriately apply recommendations and guidelines from the CDC.”
BCBS's efforts to reduce opioid abuse is concentrated in three primary areas:
1. promoting the health and safety of Alabamians through public awareness and education of opioid risk by partnering with local and state agencies, including the Alabama Department of Public Health.
2. Supporting appropriate prescribing of opioids for pain management by providing CDC treatment guidelines to primary care physicians and offering medication-assisted treatment options for members with opioid use disorder.
3. Encouraging and supporting public outreach initiatives to prevent prescription opioid misuse, abuse, fraud and diversion, including supporting and promoting National Drug Take-Back Day, which provides free, anonymous collection of unwanted and expired medications.
The BCBS Health Index has identified substance use disorder as the fifth most impactful condition affecting the health of commercially insured members in the United States. Alabama has similar results with substance use disorder ranked as the fifth most prevailing health condition.
The BCBS Health Index shows the top five conditions affecting the health of Franklin County residents to be: hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression/anxiety and substance use disorder.
For more information, visit www.bcbs.com/healthofamerica.
