Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2015 - (Page 11)

WINTER/SPRING erupt, it didn't develop if I ran." Medications did not always have the same effect. After the surgery, Van Deren began running for pleasure - no longer to allay the onset of a seizure. A few weeks after surgery, she ran a 50-mile race in Granby and won. So, she decided to try a 100-mile race and has been running ever since. Today, Van Deren is one of the top endurance athletes in the world and is sponsored by North Face. At 54 years old, she runs 100-mile races in rugged terrain throughout the world. In between races she helps pharmacy students at the Anschutz Medical Campus understand the disease that ran her life for 12 years. She credits Drs. Bainbridge and Spitz for "giving her back her life" when medications and non-pharmaceutical therapies like running couldn't. Epileptic seizures begin in the temporal lobe where a strange feeling or rush of emotion grows and then spreads through the body. People lose awareness of their surroundings and it often takes some time to recover. In most cases, that region can be safely removed without significantly altering a person's cognitive function. CELEBRATING SUCCESS AND RECOMMITTING TO THE CAUSE A recap of the first annual meeting of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention A fter forming just one year ago, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention has already made tremendous strides in helping to lower the rate of prescription drug abuse in the state. The group's first annual meeting held Oct. 3 at the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building highlighted accomplishments and future goals. In attendance were Attorney General John Suthers, representatives from Governor John Hickenlooper's office, Senator John Kefalas, Senator Irene Aguilar, Representative Beth McCann and a number of medical professionals. According to Lisa Clement, Director of the Office of Behavioral Health, "Colorado decreased from number 2 in the nation in 20102011 to number 16 in 2011-2012 in terms of prescription drug abuse." Additionally, she says, "Colorado's youth use rate decreased and is now below the national average." Colorado's sharp reduction in prescription drug use is due, at least in part, to the work of the Consortium and its multi-pronged approach to this critical issue. The group has worked alongside legislators and other government entities to tighten regulations and closely monitor patients using opioid drugs. Already, legislation has passed in this area that has helped better regulate prescription medications, limit doctor shopping and increase the number of drug take back sites and decrease the liability for dropping off these medications. House Bill 14-1283 requires practitioners and users to register with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which will Coordinating Center Director, Professor Robert Valuck, PhD, RPh send push notifications that indicate doctor shopping and help put an end to opioid medication abuse. "The next big challenge is how to safely dispose of prescription drugs to prevent nonmedical usage," says Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Larry Wolk. House Bill 1207 is a possible solution to this problem because it increases the number of take back sites and decreases the liability for those who drop off the drugs. Attorney General John Suthers celebrated the progress made and recommitted himself to the cause, saying, "It's because we are united in this effort that we can achieve our goal to make Colorado the healthiest state in the nation." NEXT STOP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE: PUBLIC AWARENESS W ith so much positive collaboration occurring in conjunction with the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, the task force appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper and the legislature, the mission now is to educate the public. The Consortium has sought external help with this mission, enlisting the professionals at Webb Strategic Communications. This Denver PR firm has worked on many notable campaigns, including "The heat is on", "Speak now!" and "No DUI Colorado". Currently, the plan is to launch a social marketing campaign in early 2015, aimed at informing the public about prescription drug safety and dispelling any misinformation about the use, storage and disposal of prescription drugs. "The main message we will be communicating is safe use, safe storage and safe disposal," says Professor Robert Valuck, PhD, RPh, and Coordinating Center Director. In order to become a healthier state with fewer instances of prescription drug overdoses, Coloradans need to become aware of some of these basic facts and become more responsible consumers. www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy 11 http://www.ucdenver.edu/pharmacy

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Pharmacy Perspectives - Winter/Spring 2015