Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
Prescriptions for opioids fall in Ohio, but addiction continues to kill at alarming rates
In response to a spiraling overdose crisis, Ohio health regulators enacted urgent reforms in 2012 to limit the amount of opioids prescribed to patients, cutting the number of doses by 11.5 percent over the next three years.
But the quick results collided with a cold reality: Overdose deaths in the state skyrocketed during that same period.
Unintentional deaths from opioids jumped 59 percent between 2012 and the end of 2014, state records show. Preliminary data from 2015, while incomplete, indicates the death rate is continuing to climb.
The divergent statistics underscore a drastic -- and lethal -- change in the supply of opioids in Ohio. As regulators cracked down on prescription drugs, illegal traffickers from Asia and Central America began flooding communities with heroin and even more potent opioids manufactured in laboratories abroad, according to reports by state and federal health authorities.
In 2014, for example, nearly a quarter of overdose deaths -- 502 -- were attributable to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid painkiller that is 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin. The drug, which has seeped in from Mexico, was responsible for 84 deaths the year before, according to state records.
"It's almost like whack a mole because the evolution of drugs and availability continues to change," said Tracy Plouck, director of the state's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. "It demonstrates how fast moving this challenge is. We're trying to stay in front it, but there's always the next thing."
Podcast #45: Wood County Suicide Prevention Coalition
In this episode of the Wood County Prevention Coalition Podcast, we sit down and have a conversation with Lisa Myers, Director of Social Services at the Wood County Committee on Aging and co-chair of the Wood County Suicide Prevention Coalition and Ann Huss, the Suicide Prevention Consultant at the Children's Resource Center about the objectives of the coalition and dispel some myths surrounding suicide.
They also talk about the warning signs, community programming including Signs of Suicide (SOS), Healthy IDEAS, and Youth Mental Health First Aid, and other issues such as depression, bullying, substance abuse and much more. To download the latest episode, please click here: http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/wood-county-suicide-prevention-coalition_80169
The next Wood County Suicide Prevention Coalition meeting is June 23rd, 1:30 PM at the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. Contact Lisa at lmyers@wccoa.net for more information about the coalition or next meeting.
Some of the resources discussed in this episode are:
24-Hour Local Services
THE LINK
419-352-1545 or 800-472-9411
Children’s Resource Center (under 18 years old)
419-352-7588 or 888-466-5437
National Services
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-TALK (8255)
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Crisis Text Line (24/7 support)
Text 741-741 from anywhere in the USA, anytime, about any type of crisis free.
For non-emergency resources, click here.
Study Finds America is Ready for 21-and-Older Tobacco Laws
A study released this week by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University found that in all nine regions of the country, a majority of adults supported increasing the minimum legal age for tobacco product sales to age 21.
Researchers reported their findings in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
In the study, researchers surveyed 4,880 adults aged 18 or older to learn their views on raising the minimum age of tobacco sales to 19, 20 or 21.
“With these findings, policy makers and public health advocates can move forward knowing that people in their states support raising the minimum legal age for selling tobacco products, and that this is an issue that is not viewed as partisan,” said Dr. Adam O. Goldstein, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member and professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine, in a news release. “It seems to cross political lines, and it is one policy measure that the majority of those surveyed can agree on.”
The study comes as two states have recently moved to increase the legal age of tobacco sales to 21. Hawaii became the first U.S. state to make the change Jan. 1, and California followed suit earlier this year.
“With the strong support indicated in our data, I think we will continue to see strong momentum,” Goldstein said. “It appears likely that increasingly, lawmakers are going to be interested in doing this.”
The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and the Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products.
Epidemic: Depiction of the impact of opioids on individuals and communities.
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, Sep 16, 2016, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our Mission: We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition