Commentary: Time to “Make An Impact” on Rx Epidemic
Every month approximately 1,200 calls are received from
individuals in southern and eastern Kentucky seeking help with an
addiction issue. Multiply this by the hundreds of regions across America
and it’s easy to understand why the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention consider prescription drug abuse a public health “epidemic.”
One accidental overdose death every 19 minutes; more than the number of deaths from car crashes. That’s a sobering statistic.
Families and communities are being torn apart, and our children are not immune to addiction’s deadly consequences.
In 2009, an estimated 28,068 visits to the emergency department
misuse or abuse of drugs by children aged 12-14, according to a report
by the Drug Abuse Warning Network. Half of these visits involved
prescription and over-the-counter medications.
As the tide of prescription drug abuse rolled across the country,
communities found themselves unprepared for the impending flood of
problems and now struggle to react against the tsunami of addiction.
Recognizing that no single organization or agency could fend off this storm, UNITE launched the inaugural National Rx Drug Abuse Summit
in 2012. Impacted parties came together for a holistic examination of
what is being done to help solve the prescription drug problem, what
could be done or done better, and to forge lasting partnerships and
strategic alliances.
“Operation UNITE’s inaugural National Summit on Rx Drug Abuse was one
of the most professional and well organized conferences I have ever
been to,” stated Carla Saunders, NNP-BC, advance practice coordinator
with Pediatrix Medical Group at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
“Power packed with excellent keynote speakers, the Summit brought hope
to our team that has treated more than 400 prescription drug-exposed
newborns suffering from withdrawal in the past two years.”
“We learned so much about the problem of prescription substance abuse
and what can, and is, being done to combat the problem,” Saunders said.
“We had incredible opportunities to ‘unite’ with others and see that
there is hope. In hope there is strength, and in strength there is the
power to make a difference.”
Last
year’s conference sparked many on-going collaborations among
stakeholders in this on-going battle. Feedback from the more than 700
participants has been used to shape discussion at the second Summit,
to be held April 2-4, 2013, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate
in Florida. Breakout and general session programs will focus on ways
participants can “Make An Impact” in the fight against prescription drug
abuse.
With youth experimenting with drugs at an earlier and earlier age, it
is incumbent on all stakeholders to identify and collaborate on
successful educational strategies that will help change behaviors.
No single entity or initiative can solve our nation’s problems alone.
In addition to grassroots educational efforts, law enforcement
strategies and providing appropriate treatment/recovery programs for
addicts, we must look at long-term cures – and that involves effective
legislation at local, state and federal levels. The Summit brought
recognition to work of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug
Abuse and collaboration continues on strong Prescription Drug Monitoring
Programs.
“This may be the biggest challenge of our society, and the only way
this destructive trend can be reversed is if everyone — I mean, everyone
– gets involved,” stated U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-3rd), a keynote
speaker at the first Summit. “Our nation’s future – our children’s and
grandchildren’s future – hangs in the balance.”
We cannot let this problem go unchecked. Prescription drug abuse is
growing out-of-control, draining limited resources and devastating
families. Please join this important national conversation on April 2-4, 2013, and Make An Impact! Our future is at stake.
Karen Kelly, President/CEO, Operation United
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