Prescription drug misuse has become a large public health problem across the nation.
For teens, it is a growing problem as well. In 2016, 12.8 percent of Texas students reported having ever used codeine cough syrup for non-medical use.
In South Texas, one in every five high school students reported prescription drug misuse, and their highest abused prescription drug is codeine cough syrup.
The report of codeine cough syrup misuse by high school students in South Texas has increased over the last 10 years by 6.46 percent.
Because of the need for prevention measures related to the emergence of prescription drug misuse, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is conducting regional Town Halls to discuss suggested best practices and solutions to prevent prescription drug misuse.
The Town Hall will be held on Tuesday, July 25th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Weslaco City Hall, EDC on 255 S. Kansas Ave., Weslaco.
The goal of the Town Halls is to is to develop a statewide strategic plan and community-based social marketing/public education plan to increase awareness of prescription drug misuse, the need for a coordinated approach, and promote increased use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data.
To attend the Town Hall, please register at http://prescriptiondrugsummit. com. For more information contact [email protected] or call (956) 787-7111 ext. 290.
The Prevention Resource Center (PRC), a program of Behavioral Health Solutions of South Texas, serves as the central data collection repository for South Texas, and the developer of a yearly, free Regional Needs Assessment (RNA).
To find out more about the prevention work being conducted in your community download the latest RNA at our website, www. prc11.org/data.
If you have questions about PRC, please contact Irwin Mendoza, Regional Evaluator, at 787-7111 ext. 295, or Martha A. Gutierrez, Prevention Specialist, at 787-7111 ext.297.
Martha Gutierrez Pharr
