Prescription Drug Abuse Partnership

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The Oakland County Prescription Drug Abuse Partnership (OCPDAP) convened in March 2015 by Oakland County Health Division, under the leadership of County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, to create a coordinated, strategic approach for the prevention and reduction of prescription drug abuse. The partnership has a strong coalition of multi-disciplinary members, including local physicians, pharmacists, substance abuse treatment and prevention agencies, court judges, law enforcement, Drug Enforcement Agency, public health, academia, and grassroots organizations. OCPDAP developed and implemented strategies to educate medical providers, assess drug deaths, integrate systems, and increase awareness. Within the first year, OCPDAP achieved their goals by implementing a county-wide awareness campaign, increasing the medical community’s knowledge by providing Boston University School of Medicine’s (BUSM) evidence-based SCOPE of Pain Training, and initiating a Drug Death Review Committee in partnership with Oakland County’s Medical Examiner. OCPDAP’s efforts simultaneously targeted both prevention and treatment approaches through the implementation of a large-scale awareness campaign, training of medical professionals, and creation of a drug death review committee. OCPDAP is an example of a multi-faceted partnership that positively addresses prescription drug abuse through increased knowledge, system change, and environmental assessment. OCPDAP is a vehicle to foster improvements in public health.