NH DHHS - What’s In Your Medicine Cabinet, A Prescription For Danger?

NH Suicide Prevention Council: The Integration of Drug and Suicide

Prevention Efforts



Concord, NH – Suicide continues to be a very serious issue in New

Hampshire; it is the second leading cause of death in youth and young

adults ages 15 – 34, and the fourth leading cause of death from ages 35 –

54. Of growing concern is the number of suicides attributed to poisonings,

in particular prescription and over the counter drugs. New Hampshire’s

Suicide Prevention Council is working with its suicide prevention partners

and drug and alcohol prevention partners to help reduce these drug related

deaths and on Monday will announce these efforts.



This is a unique opportunity to hear about the crucial role health care

providers have in assessing access to lethal means, in this case what may

be in your medicine cabinet and how the new prescription drug- monitoring

program will help in this effort. Also, hear from someone who struggled

with substance abuse and attempted suicide as a result; and his success now

in recovery.



Speakers for this event include:

Dr. Thomas Andrew, NH Chief Medical Examiner

Dr. Karene Simone, Northern New England Poison Center

Linda Paquette, New Futures

Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, Concord Hospital and President of New Hampshire

Psychiatric Society

David E. Chmielecki, Attempt Survivor



DATE September 10, 2012

9:00 AM



EVENT Suicide Prevention Council Integrates Drug and Suicide Prevention Efforts


LOCATION Legislative Office Building

Lobby

Concord, NH

CEI Today: EPA's Friday afternoon surprise, drug imports, Google's self-driving car, H-1B visas

PREEMPTION BY THE EPA

Resourcefulearth.org: EPA Overreach Threatens Entire U.S. Economy

On Friday afternoon, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a watershed document that provides a dangerous and misleading analysis of the Pebble Mine in Alaska. Not only does the report fail to recognize that Pebble will be state-of-the-art and one of the most modern, environmentally-friendly mines in the world, but the report also disregards the thousands of desperately needed Alaskan jobs that the mine would provide.

Serious implications await if the EPA preemptively denies Pebble’s permits, as this move would effectively give the EPA massive (and unconstitutional) powers. By allowing the EPA to deny Pebble, precedent would allow the agency to also kill any building project that has the potential to impact American waterways without ever going through the permitting process – and without the input from local, state, or other federal agencies.  > Read the full comment on Resourcefulearth.org

> Interview Myron Ebell

> See related: EPA’s Design to Strong-Arm the Chemical Industry

 

DRUG IMPORTS - GREGORY CONKO WashingtonTimes.com: High price of cheap drug imports With the Senate set to vote on one of the few “must-pass” bills of the year, pharmaceutical industry critics are plotting ways to add poison pills to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. PDUFA, as it’s known in health policy circles, was first enacted in 1992 and has significantly sped up the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) drug-approval process, giving new hope to millions of patients suffering from debilitating and fatal diseases that a cure is on the way. It is arguably the most important piece of health care legislation you’ve never heard of. > Read the full analysis on WashingtonTimes.com > Interview Gregory Conko

GOOGLE'S SELF-DRIVING CAR - MARC SCRIBNER Openmarket.org:The Future of Automobility Is (Almost) Here: Google’s Self-Driving Car This morning, CEI’s resident transportation policy junkies — General Counsel Sam Kazman and myself — had the opportunity to test-ride Google’s prototype self-driving car in downtown Washington, D.C. In October 2010, I wrote about the Google driverless car’s feat of secretly logging 140,000 miles on U.S. public roads without a single accident. Google’s car uses a wide variety of sensors that detect pedestrians, objects, and infrastructure in real time. It is the sustained rapid collection of conditions data that allows the car to slow or stop suddenly if a pedestrian enters the street, a car suddenly changes lanes or pulls away from the curb, or a lane is closed for construction or an event. > Read the full commentary on Openmarket.org >Interview Marc Scribner

IMMIGRATION - DAVID BIER FoxNews.com: Why is Team Obama making it so hard to hire highly-skilled foreign workers? Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow more Ph.Ds, scientists, and other high-skilled workers trained at U.S. universities to remain in America. The bill (S. 3185) would increase the H-1B visa quota by 55,000, but for some, the proposal doesn’t go far enough.  Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/18/why-is-team-obama-making-it-so-hard-to-hire-highly-skilled-foreign-workers/#ixzz1vUqG9WBt > Interview David Bier

Also featuring... Rep. Nick Rahall Responds, Agrees with Me on MAP-21′s “Sleight of Hand” Pay-Fors Give a Man a Fish A Fit of Sanity on ITAR Land of the Free? Part 2: The Real War on Women Before Immigration Was Regulated: Pre-20th Century Migration Facebook, Overregulation, and the “Cheers IPOs”: Unshackling the Next Facebook and Its Investors

New! Ten Thousand Commandments 2012 An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State By Clyde Wayne Crews May 15, 2012 The scope of federal government spending and deficits is sobering. Yet the government’s reach extends well beyond the taxes Washington collects and its deficit spending and borrowing. Federal environmental, safety and health, and economic regulations cost hundreds of billions—perhaps trillions—of dollars every year over and above the costs of the official federal outlays that dominate the policy debate.

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.  For more information about CEI, please visit our website, cei.org, and blogs, Globalwarming.org and OpenMarket.org.  Follow CEI on Twitter! Twitter.com/ceidotorg.

ALG's Daily Grind: FDA helps reduce costs by turning some Rx medications into OTC

May 3, 2012

FDA helps reduce costs by turning some Rx medications into OTC

Move could alleviate the cost of multiple doctor visits for patients with conditions that require a consistent medicine regimen.

Cartoon: Two Rotting Corpses

Obama unveils his reelection strategy.

Where there is no vision, the people perish

The Titanic ship of state is heading for a colossal and now perhaps unavoidable collision that might reduce the U.S. to third world status.

Fleischmann: The 'Buffett Rule' Should Be Known As The 'Buffett Ruse'

"The Buffett Ruse, as it should be known, is just a gimmick built on the myth that successful people get to keep too much of the money they earn."

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NH DHHS - State Leadership Group Tackles Growing Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

Concord, NH – A group of state government, healthcare, community and

business leaders are gathering in Concord, New Hampshire today to develop a

coordinated response to the growing problem of prescription drug abuse in

New Hampshire.



The Governors Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention,

Intervention and Treatment convened the one-day summit as part of their

work to develop a statewide strategic plan to combat what many see as an

epidemic in New Hampshire.



“Prescription drug related deaths, 172 in 2010, have more than quadrupled

over the past decade and a half,” says Joseph Harding, New Hampshire

Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Drug and Alcohol

Services’ Director and Executive Director of the Commission. “It will take

the efforts of many to turn the tide on this issue.”



This summit builds upon other efforts already underway to reduce

prescription drug misuse, including public take-back days, improved

training of medical professionals, as well as efforts by law enforcement

and community groups.



“We’re fortunate in New Hampshire to have many local and state leaders well

aware of the damage prescription drug abuse is having in our communities,”

states Tym Rourke, Chair of the Commission, “The Commission felt that our

best role would be to bring together the threads of efforts underway into a

unified plan.”



When completed, the state’s prescription drug strategy will provide a

unique roadmap to reducing the harm caused by prescription drugs. “Only a

small handful of states have developed such a plan” states Harding. “New

Hampshire can hopefully pave the way for others.



A Federal Prescription Drug Strategy has already been released. Gil

Kirlikowski, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

will be featured speaker at today’s summit, along with NH Attorney General

Michael Delaney, Dr. Seddon Savage from Dartmouth Medical School, and

several others.


The Commission will release a final version of the New Hampshire

Prescription Drug Strategy in December.

Rep. David Knox: Industry Leaders and Governor’s Proclamation Make "Point" of Safe Sharps Disposal

Free Needle Cutters Available at All Rite Aid Pharmacies in New Hampshire

CONCORD - Representatives from the leading manufacturer of needles and Rite Aid today announced a partnership to bring 3,000 free needle cutters (BD Safe-Clip™) and related educational materials to all of the 68 Rite Aid pharmacies in New Hampshire during the month of October. 

“We are happy to participate in such an important initiative to educate consumers on the proper disposal of used needles and other kinds of medical sharps,” said Karl Schumann on behalf of BD (Becton Dickinson & Company).

BD and Rite Aid announced the giveaway event in conjunction with Governor John Lynch’s proclamation of October as “Safe Disposal of Medical Sharps Month.”  The proclamation, read aloud by NH Department of Health and Human Services Director, Dr. Jose Montero, urged New Hampshire citizens to be mindful of the proper and safe disposal of all sharps, including needles and lancets.  Loose sharps should never be thrown into the trash or toilet, but instead be placed in puncture-proof containers and labeled as medical waste. 

“Rite Aid is proud to work with Governor Lynch and BD on such an effort,” said Rob Mullins, Rite Aid Regional Pharmacy Vice President.   “We understand that safely disposing of medical sharps not only helps prevent accidental injury and illness among those at home and to waste handlers, but also reduces environmental pollution.  We encourage everyone to visit their local Rite Aid pharmacy and pick up a free BD Safe-Clip today, while quantities last.” 

State Representative J. David Knox, Chairman of the Medical Sharps Subcommittee said, “With an estimated 15 million insulin syringes and pen needles used by New Hampshire’s diabetic population alone, proper disposal is critical in helping to keep waste workers and others safe from needle stick injuries.”  

Recently the Medical Sharps Subcommittee, with the financial support of Waste Management, Inc. and BD, produced and distributed over 40,000 “safe sharps” brochures throughout New Hampshire communicating the risks of inappropriate sharps disposal, as well as the means of proper disposal.  The brochure can be accessed at http://newengland.wm.com/nh_sharps.pdf.

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About the Medical Sharps Subcommittee:  The Medical Sharps Subcommittee, of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, is tasked with studying and making recommendations for the safe and practical collection and disposal of household generated medical sharps.  Since 2008, the Subcommittee has worked to design programs and educational materials to target certain audiences on the proper disposal of sharps for the protection of public health and the environment.