Staff Writer
County Health Education Resources, CHER, recently held a dinner meeting at Cary Medical Center to discuss prescription drug diversion within the community and workplace. The meeting was also telecast at Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and the Houlton Regional Hospital. CHER, described as a consortium of health care educators and professionals throughout Aroostook County that work together to provide education and health care services, holds regular meetings, with an annual large gathering to discuss important issues for health care providers.
Guest speakers during the event included Clare Desrosiers, MSW, of Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention at Cary Medical Center; Daniel Eccher, MS, Prescription Monitoring Program coordinator of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse; Myra A. Broadway JD, MS, RN, executive director of the Maine State Board of Nursing; Robert J. Fergueson, Ph.D. of the Maine Rehabilitation Center and Geoffrey Miller, prevention specialist, from the Maine Office of Substance Abuse.
Desrosiers gave the introduction at the meeting, followed by Eccher who discussed the Prescription Monitoring Program. Broadway spoke on drug diversion: implications and expectations followed by Fergueson who discussed effective patient assessment. Workplace prevention, strategies and resources was discussed by Miller, followed by a time of questions and evaluations.
The presentations were designed to bring to light the growing problem of prescription drug abuse in Aroostook County, and also to teach attendees about the Prescription Monitoring Program, its history and its goals. Attendees were also informed how to use the Prescription Monitoring Program’s online database, to refer patients to substance abuse treatment, when needed. Attendees also learned to recognize the signs of prescription drug abuse, and to better assess patients learning techniques to obtain a truthful account of the patient’s history, and how to confront patients about inappropriate behaviors associated with narcotic abuse. Lastly attendees learned what resources on the local, state and national level exist and how to use them, as well as learning how local substance abuse prevention and treatment providers can work with health care providers to provide services.
Meetings like this one will help county health care providers to better combat the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, through increased awareness.
