Maine's comprehensive approach to address prescription drug misuse - the goal of maine's comprehensive approach to address prescription drug misuse project (CAA-PDM) is to increase the number of…

Maine's comprehensive approach to address prescription drug misuse - the goal of maine's comprehensive approach to address prescription drug misuse project (CAA-PDM) is to increase the number of citizens living safe, healthy, and productive lives by decreasing opioid and stimulant misuse, dependence, and drug overdose deaths in maine. This will be accomplished through raising awareness about the risks of misusing or sharing medications, educating medical providers and prescribers on recommended alternatives to opioid or stimulant prescriptions as well as safe policies for prescription monitoring and tapering, and increasing community prevention activities in areas with the greatest need. The maine CAA-PDM project will enhance prevention strategies and reach populations and stakeholders who have yet to be actively involved in evidence-based practices for controlled prescription safety. The project will focus on all maine citizens ages 12 and older, medical and pharmaceutical providers, and endeavor to reach communities not previously reached by this grant, such as veterinary hospitals, dentists, and VA healthcare facilities and the other priority populations such as the refugee/immigrant communities. In the first year's strategic planning process, enhancements to both the maine PMP and seow dashboard will be used to identify areas of greatest need at both the state and community levels which will direct resources where they are needed most and facilitate the implementation of targeted strategies. In addition, through collaboration with various existing stakeholder groups, a training curriculum for medical providers will be developed and implemented on topics including safe opioid prescribing practices education, safe medication tapering, and when to choose alternative treatment. Community level targeted prevention strategies will be selected and recommended for the recipients of the grants we will offer to locate new local collaborations. Those strategies will be recommended for communities to carry out using the SPF process as well as community level data from the prescription monitoring program and the state epidemiological outcomes workgroup. Mass reach health communications will be developed and used in conjunction with localized social media campaigns to raise awareness in maine about the dangers of prescription drug misuse along with other opioid and stimulant prevention related messages. The project goals are to; 1) increase knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the dangers of prescription drug misuse; 2) decrease prescription drug overdose deaths; 3) enhance maine's data infrastructure and surveillance data gathering tools to better inform. Success of this project will be measured by a decrease in overdose deaths, an increase of evidence based policies and practices implemented at the local level and an enhanced data infrastructure system to proactively address the areas of highest need with evidence based resources, interventions and support.