Delaware's strategic prevention framework for prescription drugs - delaware will utilize the samhsa strategic prevention framework's five steps and two guiding principles to establish a…

Delaware's strategic prevention framework for prescription drugs - delaware will utilize the samhsa strategic prevention framework's five steps and two guiding principles to establish a comprehensive approach to mitigate the prescription drug crisis in delaware. The division of public health (DPH) will collaborate with community stakeholders to bring awareness about the dangers of misusing prescription drug medication and partner with the medical community to create and disseminate information on safe prescribing on medications. A baseline needs assessment with be conducted to revise the strategic framework to prevent youth ages 12-25 years from misusing and abusing medication. Delaware will use an ecological model to ensure that youth across the state are given prevention resources and information to build sustainable and culturally competent, safe communities. As part of the strategic prevention framework, DPH will first conduct an assessment using data from the prescription monitoring program (PMP), emergency departments, emergency medical services, delaware state survey, and the delaware youth risk behavioral survey. Once this is conducted, DPH will work with community and medical partners to identify new partnerships to build capacity to respond to the needs identified and specifically focused on youth. DPH will collaborate with partners to assess and revise as needed the current strategic plan and the goals and objectives identified in this funding opportunity. The current goals and objectives are as follows: goal 1: work with pharmaceutical and medical communities to raise awareness of the risks of overprescribing to young adults to change prescribing practices. Goal 2: raise community awareness on the dangers of sharing medication and bring prescription drug abuse prevention activities and education to schools, communities, parents, prescribers, and their patients. Goal 3: implement the prescription monitoring program data, morbidity and mortality data, and other surveillance data into a community needs assessment and revise state strategic plans to track program success. Once DPH begins to implement the project in year one, the performance measures to meet the objectives within the goal will be reviewed annually for their impact and sustainability. This project will serve the 973,764 residents in the state because all have the opportunity to reduce the overdose rate and prevent youth from overdosing.