Drug overdose deaths have hit the health plateau & # 39; from the head of health

The number of people dying from a drug overdose in the United States began to stabilize after hitting a record high last year, said Tuesday the Secretary for Health and Social Services, Alex Azar.

The opioid epidemic is largely responsible for the record number of victims, but efforts to support treatment at the local and community levels are making a difference, Azar said.

"We are so far from the end of the epidemic, but we may be at the end of the beginning," Azar said at a conference sponsored by the Milken Institute, according to reports. prepared remarks.

More than 72,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2017, of which 42,000 were opioids, according to preliminary data released this summer by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This number is incomplete and may increase.

Azar warned that it was too early to declare victory and that drug overdoses were not diminishing. Drug overdoses are increasing more slowly than before.

"The seemingly relentless trend of increasing the number of overdose deaths seems to finally be moving in the right direction," Azar said. "The plateaus at such a high level are hardly an opportunity to proclaim victory. But the concerted efforts of communities across America are starting to turn the tide. "

While the Department of Health and Human Services has stated that the opioid epidemic was a public health emergency, skeptics said few solutions had been proposed by the White House or Congress .

States use the grants granted under the 21st century treatment law, which came into force in 2016, to combat the epidemic. Again, President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump is going to raise funds for 3 Republicans in the running: announces that Trump names the former Monsanto leader at the head of the interior. did not allocate additional resources to the battle.

Trump will sign a comprehensive, bipartite opioid bill on Wednesday, which Azar says will provide a wide variety of tools to fight the epidemic. The bill creates new programs, expands and re-authorizes existing programs in almost every federal agency, which aim to address all aspects of the opioid epidemic, such as prevention, treatment and recovery. .

However, human rights advocates say the law does not provide enough money for a long-term investment in treating opioid dependence.

Meaning. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenWarren asks for clarification on whether former US soldiers have been working as murderers for "Broad City" stars (United Arab Emirates) urging Clinton not to run for Big Dem donors. (D-Mass.) And Patty MurrayPatricia (Patty) Lynn MurrayHealth care at night: House adopts funding law | Congress gets agreement on opioid package | Last winter, 80,000 people died of the flu in the United States. Wilkie does not promise inappropriate influence to the VA. Dems refuse to use federal funds to arm teachers MORE (D-Wash.) Tuesday released a government report that said the government was demonstrating the urgency of public health "has not resulted in any significant action on the part of the Trump administration".

The administration used three of the emergency authorities available: one to cut red tape, one to speed up pilot programs already under development by states and one for research, according to the report. from the Government Accountability Office.

The GAO also found that 14 other authorities remained totally unused for various reasons.

"Communities desperately need additional help to deal with the opioid epidemic. President Trump, as this report shows, has broken his promises to do his part," Warren said. in a statement.