The CDC grant will be used to sharpen awareness about the dangers of prescription drugs, including access to children and teens, said Michelle Valandingham, program coordinator for Mohave County Public Health.
Michelle Valandingham, program coordinator for Mohave County Public Health, said the CDC grant will be used to raise awareness of the the dangers of prescription drugs.
Mohave County is one of six Arizona counties targeted in a $3.6 million federal grant to battle opioid addiction, focusing on public awareness and efforts to monitor the prescription drug epidemic.
The CDC grant will be used to sharpen awareness about the dangers of prescription drugs, including access to children and teens, said Michelle Valandingham, program coordinator for Mohave County Public Health.
Mohave County was selected based on overdose hospitalization rates and other data on prescription drug abuse. “Disposing of unused medications, locking them up, using PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program), education and awareness.”
Special emphasis is being placed on making sure prescribers and pharmacists register with Arizona’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which helps doctors keep track of how many prescriptions their patients have.
Kingman Police Chief Bob DeVries said 19.2 million dosage units of opioid medications were dispensed in Mohave County in 2015, which is “significant” for a population of 200,000.
