INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana residents are more likely to die from a drug overdose than a car crash.
That grim statistic was offered Tuesday by Indiana University officials who joined Gov. Eric Holcomb at the Statehouse to announce a new effort funded by $50 million in university money to fight opioid abuse.
“If I could do but just one thing as governor — accomplish just one major thing — it would be to bend the trajectory of opioid abuse down,” said Holcomb, a Republican, who has made the issue a cornerstone of his agenda.
“This crisis affects everyone — all socio-economic levels, all races, all backgrounds.”
Opiate abuse has spiked across much of the country, but Indiana’s problem is particularly acute. Officials say Indiana is one of four states where overdose deaths have more than quadrupled since 1999.
IU plans to use the money and its academic expertise to help collect data on the scope of the problem, train health care workers and craft better public policy.
IU School of Nursing Dean Robin Newhouse says there is a dearth of statewide data. Without it, officials have a hard time devoting resources to the right areas.
