Opioids Archives - AZ Prevention Portal

2019 End of Year Evaluation Report: Community Perceptions of Substance Use and Outcomes of Workshops and Educational Activities

August 26, 2019August 27, 2019 admin

Using data collected by Service providers and community coalitions throughout Southern Arizona that addressed substance use and misuse among youth and older adults, the report details substance misuse trends, effectiveness of workshops, and outcomes of evidence-based programs. Each provider, in consultation with Arizona Complete Health and Evaluation Research and Development (ERAD), developed a logic model […]

Special Opioid Prevention Training for Casa Grande area employers

August 15, 2019 admin

Prescription and illegal opioids like heroin and fentanyl are addictive and can be deadly. More than two people die every day from opioid overdoses in Arizona. Due to an alarming increase in opioid deaths in 2016, our Governor declared a state of emergency, which set in motion substantial action to prevent opioid addiction and reduce […]

Less than 40% of Arizona doctors use prescription drug database, despite state law

August 14, 2019 admin

PHOENIX – Arizona law requires doctors to check a state database before they write a new prescription for a controlled substance, such as opioids. Yet less than 40% do. Sheila Sjolander, an assistant director at the Arizona Department of Health Services, said department officials know that’s a problem they’re “all struggling” to address in the state’s fight […]

Five things to know about fentanyl, America’s deadliest drug

August 3, 2019August 3, 2019 admin

The powerful painkiller is the primary synthetic opioid available in the US, a class of drug that was responsible for almost 32,000 overdose deaths last year. But why is fentanyl‘s threat growing, and can Beijing help America cure its addiction to its deadliest drug? What is fentanyl? Fentanyl was first developed in 1959 and introduced to the US […]

Read the Arizona Statewide Prevention Needs Assessment

May 21, 2019May 21, 2019 admin

The 2018 Statewide Prevention Needs Assessment was a systematic process to collect and analyze information to describe the prevention needs of Arizona. This assessment is a practical tool that will allow community planners, stakeholders and coalitions, in collaboration with local and State governments, to identify the levels of risk and protective factors operating in their […]

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day will be Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 admin

National Take-Back Day is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs. The last Take-Back Day brought in more than 900,000 pounds of unused or expired prescription medication. This brings the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 10,878,950 pounds. Check DEA’s official Take Back Day website for […]

Opioid death rate plunges 41 percent in Florida county at center of epidemic

January 19, 2019 admin

Almost three years after Palm Beach County officials set out to combat the opioid epidemic, it looks like their efforts are paying off: The State Attorney’s Office reports there were 326 opioid deaths in 2018, down from 558 in 2017. That’s a 41 percent decline. When the crisis started in 2012, 143 deaths were attributed […]

Fentanyl overtakes heroin as the No. 1 opioid overdose killer

December 12, 2018 admin

As the U.S. opioid epidemic grinds on, fentanyl is fast becoming the main culprit in drug overdose deaths, health officials report. Cocaine and heroin remain the street drugs of choice, but more overdose deaths involve fentanyl, either mixed with those narcotics or taken alone. Between 2013 and 2016, overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased about 113 […]

CDC says life expectancy down as more Americans die younger due to suicide and drug overdose

November 29, 2018 admin

Suicides and drug overdoses pushed up U.S. deaths last year, and drove a continuing decline in how long Americans are expected to live. Overall, there were more than 2.8 million U.S. deaths in 2017, or nearly 70,000 more than the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. It was the most […]

Dispose of Unused and Unwanted Medications Tomorrow During DEA National Rx Take Back Day

October 26, 2018 admin

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 27, 2018 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Eastern Time Unused or expired prescription medications at home are a public safety issue and can lead to accidental poisoning, overdose, and abuse. Unused prescriptions thrown in the trash can be retrieved and abused or illegally sold. The misuse and abuse of over-the-counter medications, illicit drugs, […]