Opioid Use Disorder Project Newsletter (Jan-Mar)
A Big Thank You to….
Denise Seilstad in Fergus County for distributing Opioid Abuse Prevention materials through Facebook, at Coalition and Task Force meetings, and at local fairs!
Hilary Maxwell in Fort Belknap for integrating opioid abuse prevention materials into projects and presentations, distributing Deterra bags to four different locations, and meeting with the Undersheriff to discuss staff training.
Julie Riley and Mary Rumph in Powder River for distributing the social media posts and for using the Opioid Misuse and Family Stress MTGUIDES to create monthly advertisements called the Wellness Weekly. Julie and Mary wrote and received a grant to make these ads possible. This unique publication will be published in their local newspaper monthly from February 2020-January 2021.
In the News
Montana Joins Suit Against Opioid DistributorsBy CORIN CATES-CARNEY • FEB 3, 2020
- HELENA, MT---On Monday February 3, 2020 Attorney General Tim Fox released to the public that two top drug distributors in Montana are being sued by the State for sending excessive shipments of opioids to Montana pharmacies. McKesson Corporation and Cardinal Health Inc. failed to monitor and report these shipments and therefore have allegedly breached laws put in place under Montana’s Controlled Substances Act. Under this act, wholesale distributors are required to stop the shipment of unusually large or frequent orders. During the years of 2006 to 2014, McKesson Corporation sent more than 48% and Cardinal Inc. sent more than 15% of Montana opioid prescriptions to pharmacies across the State. This totaled over 432 million, 10mg, prescriptions of opioids during those years, which figures out to be 400 pills for every resident in Montana. According to this article, Washington, Arkansas, and Vermont have also filed lawsuits against the two companies. To date, McKesson has paid $163 million and Cardinal $78 million in Federal civil penalties. Cardinal has paid an additional $20 million in a previous lawsuit settlement in West Virginia. Attorney General Tim Fox reported it’s indisputable that these two companies have fueled this devastating epidemic crisis. Click below to listen to a 2-minute news report.
Montana Joins Suit Against Opioid Distributors
Vaccine targeting opioid addiction with Dr. Jay Evans
by Laurel Staples on Wednesday, January 22nd 2020
- Dr. Jay Evans, director of the Center for Translational Medicine, University of Montana talks about his meetings with the NIH regarding the Heal Initiative. The big take away was that it will take a combination of strategies. Evans’ strategy will focus on opioid addiction treatment involving a vaccine that would be used for recovering opioid addicts. This vaccine would provide antibodies to the drug so if or when a relapse occurs, the vaccine would protect the body against the drug. It does this by preventing the drug from ever reaching the brain. Click link to listen to a 14-minute Television interview with Dr. Jay Evans. Dr. Jay Evans talks on new opioid vaccine
Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults: A Growing Threat
By Judy F. Minkove on 05/01/2019
- In 2020, substance use disorders among adults over age 50 will increase to 5.7 million, up from 2.8 million in 2006. A major hurdle across the care spectrum is that substance use disorder in older adults remains a hidden problem because of lack of screening in primary care and few guidelines for assessing older adults at risk. Click below to read more.
Opioid victims can begin filing claims against Purdue Pharma
by GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press on Friday, January 24th 2020
- The federal judge residing on the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case has set a deadline of June 30th to file claims against the company including, personal injury claims. Click below to read more.
Opioid victims can begin filing claims against Purdue Pharma
Documentaries
Netflix's The Pharmacist Depicts the True Story of Grieving Father's Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic
Rural Opioid Technical Training Assistance Trainings
As part of our grants, we are hosting two Statewide Technical Assistance Trainings in 2020 please see below for more details.
- Statewide Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Training (Moved to a two-day online training) Wednesday, May 27th & Thursday May 28th for details please visit http://health.msuextension.org/opioid_misuse.html
- Intended audience: In-Home Caregivers, Hospital Discharge Planners, Social Workers, and others who provide care to aging adults across the state of Montana. [Training agenda and registration details TBA]
- Rural Opioid Tribal Technical Assistance Training (This training has been postponed until further notice) Friday, June 5th 8am-4pm (with dinner and bonus session from 5pm-8:30pm) Kwa Taq Nuk Resort & Casino in Polson, MT
- Intended audience: Tribal Opioid Response Grantees, Tribal Recovery Centers, Tribal Health personnel, and others who are involved in the prevention and recovery process for those suffering from Opioid Use Disorder.