Office of Recovery: Avellone proposes strong response to substance abuse

[audio http://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/hbdew0009-david-e-williams-discusses-substance-abuse-with-joe-avellone-democratic-candidate-for-governor.mp3]Dr. Joe Avellone, Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, is very concerned about the impact of substance abuse. In particular, he's zeroed in on addictions to narcotics and heroin that have arisen out of the widespread prescribing of powerful painkillers for serious and not-so-serious conditions.His Office of Recovery would have high visibility in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and focus on getting individuals into treatment during their window of opportunity.In this podcast interview, Avellone describes why he's making this issue a priority, how his plan would work, and how it compares to efforts elsewhere.Earlier I interviewed Avellone and all other candidates for Governor about healthcare policy.---By healthcare consultant David E. Williams of the Health Business Group