Surgeon General to speak at Rx Summit
Prescription drug abuse is a growing public health concern. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin will address the need for major public health initiatives across many fields during the first National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in April. “The negative impacts of substance abuse span a broad spectrum, including health care costs, public safety, economic development and social services. As...
Read MoreNation’s top drug official to speak at Rx Summit
The nation’s top official in the war on drugs will be a keynote presenter at the first National Rx Drug Abuse Summit next April. R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), has identified prescription drug abuse as a top priority for public health in the United States. “Mr. Kerlikowske is very aware of the devastating impacts of prescription...
Read MoreDrug roundup seeks 18 in Pike
PIKEVILLE – Law enforcement officials attempted to arrest 18 Pike County individuals suspected of drug trafficking during a roundup conducted by Operation UNITE Tuesday, January 3. “This investigation centered on the Virgie and Regina communities but spread out across the county,” said Dan Smoot, deputy director of UNITE, adding the undercover operation lasted about 9 months. “We bought a...
Read MoreAppalachia engages nation on Rx abuse
Citing the importance of a drug-free population to sustainable economic growth, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has agreed to serve as Operation UNITE’s educational partner for the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit next spring. The Summit will take place April 10-12 in Florida, the heart of a prescription pill pipeline responsible for bringing approximately 60 percent of diverted drugs...
Read MoreABC Nightline examines meth labs in KY
Methamphetamine abuse is exploding across rural America now that cooks with the right elements can set up shop virtually anywhere, and in Kentucky, meth labs have nearly tripled in the past three years. ABC Nightline National Correspondant Chris Bury and Producer Melia Patria went undercover with Operation UNITE and local law enforcement agencies in April 2011 examining the problems posed by...
Read MoreForum addresses addiction issues
PRESTONSBURG – More than 125 professionals from across the region participated in an educational forum on addiction-related issues Saturday, November 12. The “Kentucky Medical Communities UNITED” program, hosted by Operation UNITE’s Medical Advisory Council at Allen Baptist Church, was the first of four state-wide forums to be offered through an Appalachian Regional Commission grant and...
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