Details:

Personal Author:
Berlow, Stuart ; Diekman, Shane ; Paulozzi, Leonard J.
Berlow, Stuart ; Diekman, Shane ; Paulozzi, Leonard J. Less -
Corporate Authors:
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.) ; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (U.S.)
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.) ; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (U.S.) Less -
Description:
This report presents health agency leadership perspectives from nine states on how prescription drug overdose has emerged as a national public health problem. It also shows the increasing awareness of the problem, which prevention and monitoring strategies have shown promise, and the infrastructure, technology, prevention, partnership, and leadership required to combat comprehensively and to reverse this rising trend.

Since 1999, abuse, misuse, and overdose of prescription drugs have significantly increased. Each year more than 20,000 persons in the United States die from drug overdose. Those with the highest rates are adults ages 35-44 and persons living in the South and West regions of this country. Opioid drugs, commonly prescribed to relieve pain, are the most common source of drug overdose deaths.

This increase in drug overdoses has created a considerable public health burden, and many states lack the capacity, personnel, and infrastructure to respond adequately to this emerging threat. Nonetheless, State and Territorial Health Officials (SHO) clearly recognize this problem and have demonstrated leadership in responding to and the planning for this threat.

To assess the knowledge, response, and planning regarding prescription drug misuse and overdose, in late 2007 the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted interviews with SHOs and other senior leaders in nine states. This report outlines the knowledge, perceptions, partnerships, recommendations, policies, and other issues that are fundamental to understanding and responding to drug misuse. The following states are included in this report: Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia.

This document was written for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials by Stuart Berlow, MPP, MHSA, Director, Injury Prevention, ASTHO; Len Paulozzi, MD, MPH, Medical Epidemiologist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC; and Shane Diekman, PhD, MPH, Behavioral Scientist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

This brief was made possible through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Cooperative Agreement # U50/CCU313903


Subject:
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Drug Overdose/prevention & Control
Prescription Drugs/toxicity
Public Health
Public Health Administration
State Government

Document Type:
Report
Funding:
U50/CCU313903
Place as Subject:
Arkansas ; Florida ; Indiana ; Kentucky ; Montana ; ... More +
Arkansas ; Florida ; Indiana ; Kentucky ; Montana ; North Carolina ; Oklahoma ; United States ; Utah ; West Virginia Less -
Collection(s):
Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:2faf3ab05b7393e7848116880acc38ce64289270c0fa46f7bcd37b476c15aa5e
File Type:

Supporting Files

• No Additional Files

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