State of Arizona Resources

This featured collection highlights a number of initiatives Arizona has undertaken to address the opioid crisis in the state.

CLOUD includes documents and links to websites for the following innovative programs that may be of interest to policymakers and community leaders, payers and providers, and patients and caregivers:

• Arizona Action Plans, General Legislation and Key Reports: This collection includes the state’s Opioid Action Plan, reports from task forces and meetings, information about the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act, Arizona’s applications for the State Opioid Response Grant and Opioid State Targeted Response Grant, and links to key websites.

• 50 State Review on Opioid Policy: The Arizona Department of Health Services prepared this 2017 review of opioid related policies in all 50 states to assist decision-makers in evaluating potential policy actions. The review includes appendices which address topics such as prescribing regulations and guidelines, data collection, state substance abuse task forces, and state emergency response declarations.
• Rethink Rx Abuse Public Health Campaign: The Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family created a toolkit for communities to launch a public health information campaign to reduce prescription drug abuse. The toolkit includes targeted educational materials and information about implementing harm reduction and safe medication disposal programs as well as information for patients, caregivers, and parents to help them better understand the risks of prescription medications and how to reduce those risks.
• The Arizona Pain and Addiction Curriculum: Deans and curriculum representatives from all 18 schools educating health care providers in Arizona came together to create this non-proprietary curriculum on pain and addiction that is available for use in other states.
• Enhanced Opioid Data Surveillance: Arizona’s Department of Health Services adopted an enhanced opioid data surveillance program that requires first responders and health care providers to report suspected opioid overdoses, suspected opioid overdose deaths, naloxone distribution, and naloxone administration through an electronic reporting system. The state also offers blood testing from suspected opioid overdoses by the public health laboratory and has a real time opioid data online dashboard.
• Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances: The Arizona legislature adopted a law requiring health care providers to use electronic prescribing for all Schedule II controlled substances by January 1, 2020. Their implementation resources are included in the CLOUD.
• Arizona Angel Initiative: Arizona piloted a Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative in three counties and published a report evaluating the pilot and exploring the possibility of expanding the program statewide.
• Naloxone Education and Distribution: Arizona has prioritized naloxone education and distribution to reduce opioid overdose deaths and has created documents and policies to assist in implementing their naloxone program.
• Arizona Opioid Prescribing Guidelines: The 2018 Arizona opioid prescribing guidelines and a link to the state’s free continuing medical education program for the guidelines.

These resources and a few additional Arizona resources can be found on this collection page or by searching the CLOUD by the initiative’s name.