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Judge grants Helen Galli bail in appeal of poisoning conviction

<p>Pennsylvania is in the midst of a full-fledged epidemic. The prescription opioid and heroin crisis is the most significant public health crisis facing our state today.</p><p>According to the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association &#8220;2015 Report on Overdose Death Statistics,&#8221; 3,505 Pennsylvanians died as a result of drug poisoning. That is an astonishing 10 deaths a day &#8211; 10 too many.</p><p>At Geisinger Marworth Treatment Center, we see the devastating effects of opioid addiction daily. But we also see the hope and transformation that come with addiction treatment and recovery.</p><p>Prescription medications are a significant part of the problem. U.S. doctors wrote 240 million prescriptions for narcotic painkillers in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And much too often, those prescription opioids are misused accidentally or abused purposefully.</p><p>To address this epidemic, lawmakers and the medical community have come together to launch a statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, called ABC-MAP. Now, physicians and pharmacies finally have access to information that identifies whether their patients already are being prescribed opioid medications by other providers.</p><p>ABC-MAP is a tool to ensure prescription drugs are not being overprescribed and to prevent &#8220;doctor shopping&#8221; by those looking to use the drugs illicitly. The goal of the program is to help health care professionals prescribe and dispense medications safely, and to refer patients to treatment if they are struggling with addiction. This is a necessary first step to curb drug addiction.</p><p>I wholeheartedly encourage my colleagues in the medical field to utilize ABC-MAP every time a prescription for an opioid medication is considered. And if abuse is suspected, please guide your patients to an appropriate resource to seek support and treatment.</p><p><strong>Dr. Margaret Jarvis</strong></p><p>Medical director</p><p>Geisinger Marworth Treatment Center</p><p>Waverly</p><style>
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Letter to the Editor: Pharmacists and physicians urged to use new monitoring system for prescription opioids