Health News
- Prescription Drugs Killing More Women Than Ever; Kentucky Ties For Fifth For Its High Percentage Of Deaths
The ongoing national epidemic of addiction to prescription painkillers is spreading more quickly among women, and it is killing more women than ever before. Kentucky ties Utah for the fifth highest percentage of female deaths due to prescription-drug...
- Conway, Other Ags Ask Fda To Require Generic Prescription Pain Pills To Be Abuse-resistant, Tamper-resistant
Generic versions of popular pain relievers must be made harder to abuse, in order to curb prescription drug abuse that is epidemic in many states, Attorney General Jack Conway and 47 other attorneys general said in a letter sent to federal officials Monday....
- Beshear Tells National Audience Legislature Should Pass Pill-mill Bill
Today, Gov. Steve Beshear again called on legislators to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on so-called pill mills and thus curb prescription drug abuse. Speaking at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, Beshear asked for comprehensive...
- Rx Drug Abuse Summit In Florida, Organized By Ky. Group, Set To Start As Lobbying On 'pill-mill Bill' Continues To Ramp Up
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News As a bipartisan group of political leaders pushes the General Assembly to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on "pill mills" that contribute to prescription drug abuse, Eastern Kentucky's Operation UNITE...
- Kentucky Is 'ground Zero' In The War On Drugs, Rogers Says
A Kentucky congressman called "ground zero" in the war against drugs Wednesday as officials gathered in London for the regional meeting of the UNITE Coalition. In attendance was director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowke,...
Health News
National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, a Kentucky product, seeks to make the nation face up to its problem
The second annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, organized by Eastern Kentucky's Operation UNITE, called for a national commitment to combating the country's drug-abuse problem
"People of great passion and perspective are here wanting to make an impact in their communities," said U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, who first funded Operation UNITE. "The first step is we have to admit there is a problem. I don't think the country is there yet. We've got to face up to it. We've got to make this known ... and that we're not going to hide from it." Rogers was quoted in a news release.
UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education) serves 32 counties in Eastern Kentucky. It was created to fight illegal drug use through a comprehensive approach that includes educating youth and the public and coordinating substance abuse treatment while providing support for families affected by abuse.
In Kentucky, drug overdose is the leading cause of death and is more fatal than motor vehicle accidents, and the number of Kentucky drug-overdose deaths nearly quadrupling from 2000 to 2010. The nation has seen a similar trend, with the number of overdose deaths more than tripling over the decade.
?We can stop this epidemic,? Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the summit. ?But we need everyone working together in an all-hands-on-deck approach.?
Themes highlighted at the summit included the need to provide better education about drug abuse, the need for greater use and seamless integration of state prescription-monitoring programs, the need to facilitate effective treatment and recovery programs, and the need for abuse-deterrent narcotic formulations.
?We were extremely pleased that so many individuals representing such a broad cross-section of interests shared their knowledge and expertise,? said Karen Kelly, who is leaving Operation UNITE to become district director on the Rogers congressional staff. To read more about the summit, click here.
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| U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-5th District |
UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education) serves 32 counties in Eastern Kentucky. It was created to fight illegal drug use through a comprehensive approach that includes educating youth and the public and coordinating substance abuse treatment while providing support for families affected by abuse.
In Kentucky, drug overdose is the leading cause of death and is more fatal than motor vehicle accidents, and the number of Kentucky drug-overdose deaths nearly quadrupling from 2000 to 2010. The nation has seen a similar trend, with the number of overdose deaths more than tripling over the decade.
?We can stop this epidemic,? Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the summit. ?But we need everyone working together in an all-hands-on-deck approach.?
Themes highlighted at the summit included the need to provide better education about drug abuse, the need for greater use and seamless integration of state prescription-monitoring programs, the need to facilitate effective treatment and recovery programs, and the need for abuse-deterrent narcotic formulations.
?We were extremely pleased that so many individuals representing such a broad cross-section of interests shared their knowledge and expertise,? said Karen Kelly, who is leaving Operation UNITE to become district director on the Rogers congressional staff. To read more about the summit, click here.
- Prescription Drugs Killing More Women Than Ever; Kentucky Ties For Fifth For Its High Percentage Of Deaths
The ongoing national epidemic of addiction to prescription painkillers is spreading more quickly among women, and it is killing more women than ever before. Kentucky ties Utah for the fifth highest percentage of female deaths due to prescription-drug...
- Conway, Other Ags Ask Fda To Require Generic Prescription Pain Pills To Be Abuse-resistant, Tamper-resistant
Generic versions of popular pain relievers must be made harder to abuse, in order to curb prescription drug abuse that is epidemic in many states, Attorney General Jack Conway and 47 other attorneys general said in a letter sent to federal officials Monday....
- Beshear Tells National Audience Legislature Should Pass Pill-mill Bill
Today, Gov. Steve Beshear again called on legislators to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on so-called pill mills and thus curb prescription drug abuse. Speaking at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, Beshear asked for comprehensive...
- Rx Drug Abuse Summit In Florida, Organized By Ky. Group, Set To Start As Lobbying On 'pill-mill Bill' Continues To Ramp Up
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News As a bipartisan group of political leaders pushes the General Assembly to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on "pill mills" that contribute to prescription drug abuse, Eastern Kentucky's Operation UNITE...
- Kentucky Is 'ground Zero' In The War On Drugs, Rogers Says
A Kentucky congressman called "ground zero" in the war against drugs Wednesday as officials gathered in London for the regional meeting of the UNITE Coalition. In attendance was director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowke,...