Conclusion to the Persuasive Essay
You have identified a topic that includes a problem connected to a specific place, completed your research, written an introduction, and composed a number of body paragraphs. Now you will write a conclusion to your persuasive essay.
By the due date assigned, post your conclusion to the
Discussion Area. Then, by the end of the week, comment on at least two of your classmates' submissions.
Assignment Guidelines:
Write a conclusion to your persuasive essay. Remember an effective conclusion should summarize the key points of your argument, remind your readers how the problem affects them and suggest next steps. Your conclusion should be at least 150 words, and you should use APA style guidelines to cite any borrowed material. Please be sure to read all lecture materials and textbook chapters before completing this assignment.
Running Head: HEROIN OVERDOSES AND DEATHS IN OHIO1 HEROIN OVERDOSES AND DEATHS IN OHIO4 PERSUASIVE ESSAY HEROIN OVERDOSES AND DEATHS IN OHIO Table of Contents Introduction3 Arguing and Supporting with Evidence4 References7 Introduction One of the mounting issues, not only in Ohio but also within whole of the US is the exponential increase in drug abuse and addiction. Drug abuse has not only destroyed families structurally and financially, it has also led untimely to deaths that could have been avoided. Particularly in the state of Ohio, opioid overdose abuse and deaths have been on an alarming rise. Barlas (2017) mentioned that Ohio was the state with the second-highest rate of drug overdose deaths related to Opioids. The recorded death rate was 39.2 deaths per 100,000 persons while it was 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons within rest of the country (NIDA, 2019). Deaths have been noted due to both prescription drugs and intentional drug abuse through the use of heroin. While the entire population is at risk for addiction, high-risk groups involve both males and females of middle age (Massatti, Beeghly, Hall, Kariisa & Potts, 2014). Due to the fact that a large part of Ohio’s population is prone to overdose and substance abuse risk, this issue emerges as a major priority above all. While the government has invested in grants and control measures with respect to opioid addiction and opioid availability, no significant reduction in deaths has been noted. Instead, Barlas (2017) suggested that within first four months of 2017, 96 deaths were recorded due to opioid overdose in Ohio. The issue significantly interested me because the level of abuse and deaths are not only high; the rate of addiction is also increasing every year. ‘Heroin addiction is becoming a major cause of preventable death in Ohio therefore, a collaborative effort between the government, state-wide and community leaders will be required’. Arguing and Supporting with Evidence Drug disposal by communities can help to decrease the supply of narcotics. It has been noted from the above presented data that prescription drugs as well as intentional heroin use are the two major sources identified and responsible for drug abuse. Therefore, drug disposal can be a very effective technique in order to decrease the supply of narcotics as well as decrease the likelihood of drug diversion and drug abuse. This is majorly because of the fact that, if communities dispose of unwanted medication by collecting them and then following legal and environmentally safe methods, it will help to reduce the illegal and non-prescribed drug supply. Further, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) have prepared strategies and guidelines in order to help the communities in this through organizing drug disposal days (Penm et al., 2017). These guidelines would be helpful for the communities in event preparation, data analysis, drug collection as well as many other activities. Moreover, ODH has also worked with Ohio Attorney General and Drug Free Action Alliance in order to purchase ‘prescription drug drop boxes’ through National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. 65 drug drop boxes have been provided to 23 Ohio counties in order to facilitate safe drug disposal sites and to serve as regional disposal sites. Along with this, Naloxone has been observed as a lifesaving drug for opioid abusers and its greater access can decrease the number of opioid related deaths. Narcan also known as naloxone can be of a great help in order to continue towards the harm reduction from opioid drugs. This is majorly because this naloxone is an opioid antagonist, therefore, can be used against partial or complete reversal of opioid overdose. HB 170 (House Bill 170) is one such effective as well as bold intervention from the governor in March 2014 and it allowed physician as well as other health care professionals to prescribe naloxone to anyone seeking help from opioid overdose. Peace officers were also provided with the authority to use this drug if they encounter any case with opioid drug abuse. ‘Project DAWN’ initiated by ODH allowed state-wise distribution of this drug, therefore, helped individuals, family members and friends with the technique and dosage of this drug in case they encounter opioid overdose cases around them. Winstanley, Clark, Feinberg and Wilder (2016) mentioned through their survey that between 2012 and 2015, opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs) reported 149 overdose reversals. Therefore, this is an effective and collaborative step between government agencies and community services in order to prevent deaths due to opioid overdose. Further, the application and distribution of this drug faces challenges because this drug is expensive and there is requirement of workshops to train the individuals for drug delivery. Therefore, the changes in regulatory actions can help to reduce opioid related mortality in Ohio. It would be essential to consider that the major source of intentional drugs use have been reported from illegal supply of prescription drugs. Therefore, prescription-monitoring program is required in order to monitor the prescription drugs. Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) tracks the prescription of controlled substances that a patient may receive irrespective of pharmacy or prescriber. Therefore, the prescriber or physician can confirm it from OARRS before prescribing the controlled substances and especially opioid related drugs. The state has also developed ‘Ohio’s Opioid Prescribing Guidelines’ according to which 80 mg morphine is considered as a trigger threshold. Therefore, physicians cannot use or recommend dosage above the threshold trigger and if required they will have to address or reevaluate their therapy in order to ensure patient’s safety. Likewise, the state has also updated their scope of practice with respect to naloxone usage and have initiated training programs for emergency, fire services and other community services so as to minimize the opioids overdose associated deaths at regional levels. Further, collaborative changes with respect to awareness programs have also been initiated with the help of state medical board and local agencies, which is funded by ODH (Massatti et al., 2014). References Barlas, S. (2017). US and states ramp up response to opioid crisis: Regulatory, legislative, and legal tools brought to bear. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 42(9), 569. Massatti, R., Beeghly, C., Hall, O., Kariisa, M., & Potts, L. (2014). Increasing heroin overdoses in Ohio: Understanding the issue. Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; 2014. NIDA, (2019) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Ohio Opioid Summary. NIH. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/ Penm, J., MacKinnon, N. J., Boone, J. M., Ciaccia, A., McNamee, C., & Winstanley, E. L. (2017). Strategies and policies to address the opioid epidemic: a case study of Ohio. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 57(2), S148-S153. Winstanley, E. L., Clark, A., Feinberg, J., & Wilder, C. M. (2016). Barriers to implementation of opioid overdose prevention programs in Ohio. Substance abuse, 37(1), 42-46. Prescription Drug Overdose (PDO) Grant The PDO grant will be entering its third year in September. This grant was awarded to the Stark County Health Department (SCHD) from Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The main strategies of the grant are: 1. Participation in the Stark County Opiate Task Force 2. Data and Information gathering 3. Education on policy changes like naloxone use and disposal of medications. SCHD also received two separate pilot grants in relation to PDO. The first grant worked with the Stark County jail and involved screening inmates for potential opiate addiction as well as linking them with naloxone and resources upon release. The second pilot grant relates to, community linkages and has involved SCHD working with Alliance Community Hospital. This Report: P.1 OFR Team P.2 Tracking non-fatal Overdoses P.3 Stark County Trends P.4 Stark County Resources In 2017 the Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) team met twice and reviewed all of the 2017 Unintentional Overdose deaths that occurred in Stark County. Data was collected from the Coroner’s Reports, Death Certificates, police reports, and Stark Criminal Justice Information Services. All data is public record, and is reported aggregately due to confidentiality laws. Graph 1 above, shows the number of overdose deaths that have occurred in Stark County since 2015. There were 27% fewer deaths in 2017 when compared to the previous year. The OFR team is comprised of members from Public Health, Mental Health, Addiction Services, Coroner’s Office, Physicians, Hospitals, and Law Enforcement. The goal of this team is to decrease overdose deaths in the community. It is the hope that with a comprehensive review, recommendations can be made, based on the data, to identify opportunities for reducing opiate related deaths and overdoses as well as increasing community awareness surrounding this issue. One example of this includes work on the Community Response Plan which is a plan that goes into effect when the Stark County Health Department (SCHD) receives an alert from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) about an increase in drug related hospital visits. This plan indicates how to contact partners and raise awareness that there may be a “bad batch” or very lethal opiate analogue circulating. Decrease in Unintentional Overdose Deaths 0 100 200 2015 2016 2017 44 44 45 31 74 41 # o f O D D e at h s Graph 1: Stark County Overdose Deaths July to Dec Jan to June 75 Total 8 not Stark County Residents 118 Tota l 16 not Stark County Residents 86 Total 6 not Stark County residents Overdose Fatality Review (OFR)Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) Stark County 2017: Annual ReportStark County 2017: Annual Report Tracking non– fatal opioid overdoses has continued to be a focus of the OFR team. The data above in Graph 2 was collected from the following sources, Stark County Coroners Office, EMS Incident Reporting System, and Ohio’s EpiCenter. These provide information on overdose deaths, EMS administration of naloxone, and emergency department visits. Graph 2, illustrates a decrease in all three of the fields being measured when compared to the previous year. SCHD monitors Epicenter ED visits on a weekly basis and creates monthly reports that are available on the SCHD website. http://www.starkcountyohio.gov/public-health/nursing- services/overdose-prevention Stark County has continued to decrease the amount of prescription opioids being prescribed. Thanks to providers utilizing the Ohio Automated Prescription Reporting System (OARRS) which allows prescribers to see the patients prescribing history prior to prescribing opiates, and prescribing guidelines which help limit the number of pills in a prescription. OARRS