Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Population Health Research Brief Series
Opioid Treatment Programs Can Reduce Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits and Foster Care Placements
Lindsey Rose Bullinger, Vivian Wang, and Kenneth A. Feder
March 2023
Abstract
The U.S. opioid epidemic has led not only to unprecedented increases in opioid overdoses, functional impairment, and deaths among adults but also harmed children. After lifting a long-standing moratorium on drug treatment programs and increasing the number of medication-assisted opioid treatment programs (OTPs), Indiana saw a decrease in emergency overdose treatments and foster care placements. This brief explores the positive effects of medication-assisted treatments on children and their caregivers and the cost savings for foster care agencies.