Improving Addiction Treatment
Stopping addiction means ensuring those who need help are provided with meaningful and effective treatment options.
One treatment option for Hoosiers battling addiction is an Office-Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program, many of which have recently opened in our state. While these programs can be valuable, they are lacking appropriate regulations to protect patients.
To ensure these programs are operating responsibly, I supported Senate Bill 141, which would set common-sense regulations for OBOT programs and require doctors to outline a specific treatment agreement with the patient before starting treatment.
For example, this bill would require doctors engaged in OBOT programs to:
- Perform initial assessments before treatment begins;
- Look at the patient’s substance abuse history;
- Perform a mental health assessment;
- Drug test the patient periodically to see if they are sticking with their plan and not using other drugs;
- Check INSPECT (Indiana’s prescription monitoring system) at least four times per year during treatment;
- Test if the patient is pregnant and counsel them about the use of opioids during pregnancy; and
- Provide ongoing support therapy.
SB 141 recently passed out of the Senate with bipartisan support and will now move to the House of Representatives for consideration.
For more information on SB 141, click here.
More High School Students Earning College Credit
The Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE) recently released a report showing the number of Hoosier students earning college credit in high school has increased 15 percent in four years.
The CHE report shows that students who earn college credit in high school are more likely to enroll directly in college after high school and graduate on time or early from college.
In addition, students who opted to earn credit in high school and directly enrolled in college needed less remediation than those who did not. Those who earned early college credits also completed all attempted credits in their first year and returned for a second year of postsecondary education at higher rates than their counterparts.
This report demonstrates the success Indiana students are achieving, and I am proud of their dedication to preparing for their futures.
Click here to read the full 2019 Early College Credit Overview.
Unemployment Rate
Remains Low
Indiana’s unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in December.
At this rate, we continue to outrank our neighboring states, with Michigan at 4 percent, Illinois at 4.3 percent, Ohio at 4.6 percent, and Kentucky at 4.4 percent.
Click here to view the full unemployment report for December 2018.
