by Wayne Allen

Wallen@

communitycommon.com

A second Scioto County Prescription Drug Abuse Town Hall Meeting was held Monday at Wheelersburg High School to discuss possible solutions to the ongoing issue of prescription drug abuse in the area.

"This problem is huge, complex and defies easy solutions," Dr. Terry Johnson, Scioto County Coroner said. "We have powerful motivation to do something about it (prescription drug abuse), the consequences of not doing something together in an organized a concerted effort are now unexceptable."

Johnson, recommended the creation of a task force, "that will continue to address this problem long after a few problem doc's have been brought to justice, or move on to greener pastures."

He said the task force should involve all stake holders in the community. "I hope that this will partly be shouldered by our health departments, as honest brokers of the health and well being of our citizens," Johnson said.

Presenters at the meeting included Dr. Bob Mullins, DO, Emergency Room Physician, Lisa Roberts, RN., Portsmouth City Health Department, Ed Hughes, Executive Director of The Counseling Center and Bill Schmidt, Attorney, State of Ohio Board of Medicine. Presenters spoke about the various aspects of the Prescription Drug Abuse issue in Scioto County and Ohio.

"This is a problem we have to deal with as a community. I do not think this is a problem that we are necessarily going to solve by going to the county level, the state level or federal level. We have to start right here," Mullins said. "This is real and it's happening in my community. I'm willing to be involved at whatever level it take to help bring some sort of resolution to this. I am here to shed some light (on this issue) from a physicians perspective, I am mostly here because I am a concerned citizen living in Porter Township and I do not like what I see."

'A Petition Of The People,' was being circulated to those in attendance. The petition is asking Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to,"address the epidemic of prescription drug abuse in our communities."

The petition asks for the governor to initiate an investigation into the epidemic of prescription drug abuse by the state of Ohio medical and pharmacy boards. the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) within the Ohio Attorney General's office, and the Ohio Departments of Health and Taxation.

It also calls for the President of the United States of America to assist in the prescription drug abuse investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The petition goes on to make several more recommendations, including making changes to Ohio law, in the formation and operation of pain management clinics in the state.

"The epidemic of drug addiction that we are experiencing currently is worse than anything I have ever seen," Hughes said. "This is a complicated problem that is going to require a community solution."

At an earlier meeting it was discovered that, in 2008 Scioto County was No. 2 per capita in prescription drug overdose deaths out of 88 Ohio counties? The 45694 zip code is Top 10 in the United States of America in number of prescriptions written for a certain prescription pain medicine? 

For more information or to sign the petition contact Bob Walton, Jr. at 357-6268  or Rober.W.Walton.Jr@gmail.com.