"Prescription drug-related deaths are on the rise in Utah and Tooele County is not immune to that trend," said Julie Spindler, intervention specialist for Valley Mental Health, the local substance abuse authority for Tooele County.
The rate of emergency room encounters with prescription narcotics in Tooele County rose from 11.3 per 100,000 people in 2001 to 42.3 per 100,000 people in 2006, according to a study completed in 2007 by the state Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
Local pharmacies and law enforcement officials are becoming rapidly familiar with the prescription drug problem in the community.
Det. Dan Chamberlain of the Grantsville Police Department reported that in the two years Williams Family Drug in Grantsville has been open, they have experienced three incidents of either attempted burglary or burglary.
The first case involved several broken windows. In the second case in October 2007, a thief made off with $6,000 of narcotics including OxyContin, Percocet and Methadone. The third incident happened last month and involved a Grantsville High School student who tried to break through the roof of the pharmacy while the owner was still at work inside.
In May, a Stansbury Health Clinic employee pled guilty to three accounts of attempted prescription fraud for exploiting her position at the clinic to obtain prescription painkillers for personal use.
In January, the Birch Family Pharmacy in Tooele was robbed by a masked gunman for the prescription painkiller OxyContin, and Soma, a prescription muscle relaxant.
"There is no question that prescription drugs are a growing problem in Tooele," said Tooele City Police Chief Ron Kirby.
He points to a growing number of traffic stops and accidents where prescription drugs are a factor.
The problem with prescription drugs is two-fold, according to Bob Main, a retired Tooele City police officer who has been hired by Valley Mental Health to help design and implement their intervention strategy for prescription drug deaths.
Main said the first problem is misuse, which is when people don't follow directions or are not aware of possible drug interactions.
"For example, senior citizens may forget they have already taken their medications and then take a double dose by accident," Main said.
He also recounted the story of a young man from Tooele County who was taking prescription Methadone as a pain reliever and then took an over-the-counter antihistamine. The combination was lethal.
The other part of the problem, according to Main, is abuse. This consists of people taking prescription drugs for purposes other than the original prescription.
"Sometimes people start out taking pain medication for a legitimate purpose and they end up addicted," Main said.
He said high school students have been known to take pills from their parents or grandparents to school and sell them.
"They often have no idea what they are or what they do," he said.
Whatever the cause, misuse or abuse, Main and Spindler are working to reduce prescription drug-related deaths. They have two events planned so far and are working on their overall battle plan.
On June 25, Valley Mental Health will sponsor a special viewing of the movie "Happy Valley," a documentary on prescription drug abuse in Utah, for community leaders. The films producer/director Ron Williams will then lead a discussion on promoting healthy lifestyles.
In September, a dinner meeting is planned for medical providers and pharmacists. The agenda will include training on prescription drug misuse and abuse as well as discussion on how the medical community can help prevent prescription drug deaths.
"We can make a difference," said Main. "We can help people keep their family members alive."
tgillie@tooeletranscript.com
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