Join Panhandle Health District (PHD) on October 10th for the second annual North Idaho Rx Opioid Solution Symposium. The symposium is open to all community members who have an interest in collaborating to reduce opioid misuse, abuse and overdose within our region.

“We’ve broken the day into three sessions geared towards different populations, so everyone’s involvement is targeted to make the greatest impact,” said Kelsey Orlando, Health Education Specialist, Sr and HRSA Project Director for the Prescription Opioid Solutions (PRxOS) workgroups at PHD. “We have sessions tailored for providers, professionals and the public as we realize this topic affects everyone in our community.”

The Symposium’s first session is specific to providers, prescribers and clinicians who are directly involved in pain management and will focus on the Regional Standard of Care for pain pathways.

The second session is for all professions including law enforcement, pharmacists, mental health professionals and other community partners who are impacted by opioid misuse and are dedicated to creating community driven solutions to our local opioid problem.

Finally, the last session of the day will be open to the public and will feature two short films prior to a panel discussion.

According to the Office of Drug Policy (ODP), approximately 69,000 Idahoans 12 years and older misused pain relievers in the past year. Prescription drug arrests more than doubled between 2008 and 2016. Frighteningly, youth misused their prescription drugs most often in their own home and from their own prescription. Idaho ranks fifth for pain reliever misuse among ages 12+ and the rate of drug-induced deaths has increased 30 percent over the past five years.

The North Idaho Rx Opioid Solution Symposium will bring more understanding to the opioid crisis and improve the awareness, education and solutions to North Idaho’s opioid challenge.

After last year’s Symposium, the PRxOS workgroups were formed to focus on four key goals to address the epidemic, including harm reduction, prevention, access to treatment, and community resources. Because of the great successes of these workgroups, PHD has been able to expand their reach and resources to continue addressing this topic.