By Kim Bartel

Region 5 Prevention Resource Center

 

On Wednesday, July 19^th, there will be a Town Hall meeting on prescription drug misuse in our area. The Town Hall meeting will be from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the Eleganté Hotel & Conference Center in Beaumont.

The Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC) will be making a presentation highlighting how large of public health issue prescription drug misuse has become in Texas and across the nation. Misuse may occur in people who need painkillers, sedatives or stimulants to treat a medical condition and can lead to addiction, and even overdose deaths.

It is also a growing problem for teenagers as well. One out of five Texas high school students have taken prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription at least once in their lifetime. The problem has resulted in increasing healthcare cost. In 2015, Texas had the second highest total healthcare cost from opioid misuse in the nation ($1.96 billion) and Texas is home to four of the top 25 cities in the U.S. for opioid misuse.

It is because of the need for prevention measures related to the rise of prescription drug misuse that HHSC along the Prevention Resource Center of the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) is conducting this Town Hall meeting on Wednesday. There will also be community representatives from law enforcement and healthcare to make remarks and ask the community for comments and suggestions.

So, who should attend the Town Hall meeting? Parents, youth, the business community, teachers, professors, youth-serving organizations, law enforcement agencies, religious organizations, civic and volunteer groups, healthcare professionals, state and local tribal agencies with experience in the field of substance misuse, and other organizations involved in reducing substance misuse. If you would like more information log-on to www.presciptiondrugsummit.com/regional or you can contact the Region 5 Prevention Resource Center toll free at (844) 772-3483.