Shepparton Community Discussion To Be Held On Rising Prescription Medication Harms

A community discussion will be hosted by not-for-profit organisation, ScriptWise, on preventing problems such as medication dependence at GOTAFE on 28th February at 6pm.

Local health professionals and experts will join a panel to talk strategies and ways to reduce medication harms with the upcoming implementation of Victoria’s real-time prescription monitoring system, SafeScript.

In Greater Shepparton alone, 34 people died due to an overdose involving prescription medications between 2009 and 2015.

Medication related overdose during this time accounted for about 89 percent of total overdose deaths (38).

Local health expert and moderator for the panel, Soenke Tremper, says that many people may not have heard about the prescription medication crisis given the focus on illicit drug use.

“It’s important for people to know the benefits and also potential harms of using certain pain medications like opioids,” said Mr Tremper.

“Addiction of any sort is a community issue, it doesn’t just affect one person. It affects families, workplaces and our society as a whole and it is important that we start this discussion now.”

SafeScript will give relevant health professionals access to their patients’ prescription history of certain high-risk medications such as opioids and sedative medications.

The system came online in Western Victoria in October and in two months identified almost 3,300 patients at risk of harm or overdose from visiting multiple clinics or pharmacies.

SafeScript is due to be implemented across Victoria in April.

Date: 28 February 2018, 6:00–7:30pm
Where: GOTAFE, Auditorium, 152/200 Fryers St, Shepparton
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/preventing-harm-in-shepparton-tickets-55268101379

For support or more information, you can phone the SafeScript Pharmaceutical Helpline: 1800 737 233