WVU's Robin Pollini is available to discuss data from the DEA's Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders Systems which shows disproportionate pain pill distribution in Appalachia and rural communities.
Data released this week from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders Systems shows disproportionate pain pill distribution into Appalachian and rural communities, which resulted in an opioid crisis for West Virginia and the region. West Virginia University expert Robin Pollini says the data underscores the depth of the problem and the need to confront it.
Robin Pollini audio: Communities in West Virginia and other Appalachian states
“The widespread availability of these drugs led to extraordinary increases in opioid-related deaths. For us, the question now is do we have the resources and the commitment necessary to solve this public health crisis that started with the widespread distribution of prescription opioids.” —Robin Pollini, Associate Director, Injury Control Research Center, School of Public Health Associate Professor, Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, School of Medicine
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CONTACT: Robin Pollini
Associate Director, Injury Control Research Center
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1529; robin.pollini@hsc.wvu.edu
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