Dr. Alfred Aleguas
• The Poison Control Center is the 24/7 Emergency Hot Line
manned by trained nurses and always condential.
• Calls are most typically from schools, workplaces, and
healthcare facilities, but any individual with a question or
concern is encouraged to call the toll-free number.
• Dr. Aleguas was involved in the opioid crisis in Ohio in 2012
when the records show there were, on average, 4 opioidrelated
deaths per day.
• Rhode Island recently reported 11 deaths in a two-week
period due to the prevalence on the street of carfentanil
laced heroin.
• Citizens are urged to call the Poison Control Center not just
for emergencies, but for ANY question or concern, and
reminded that calls are always condential.
TOP TWO BARRIERS to Eliminate the Opioid Crisis:
1. The largest is the lack of funding, and especially the lack
of funding to get the antidote in the hands of every EMT.
2. The need to change the view that the person who “uses” or
has “overdosed” is a “bad” person.
TAKE AWAY
• Please make sure everyone you know has the number to
Poison Control added to their contacts in their mobile phone.
One never knows when this number may be useful.
• The toll-free number 00-222-1222 works anywhere in the
United States and US Territories.
Nathan Scott
• In the month of July 2016, there were 729 doses of the
antidote, Naloxone, administered by rst responders on
calls where an individual had overdosed. The cost of those
life-saving injections was $109,650 or $43.7/dose.
• In scal year 2015-16, the numbers in Circuit 12 were:
Total number of children removed from their homes: 3
o Sarasota: 360
o Manatee: 447
o DeSoto: 31
• In scal year 2016-17 in Circuit 12:
Total number of children removed from their homes: 1,554
o Sarasota: 550
o Manatee: 64
o DeSoto: 140
Of these, 943 are now in out-of-home care.
TOP TWO BARRIERS to Eliminate the Opioid Crisis:
1. The stigma surrounding drug use is an obstacle.
2. The need for strong collaboration; we must talk and work
together as agencies and community members.
TAKE AWAY
• We need to determine what the milestones look like to better
assess growth and change.
• Who is a mandatory reporter? EVERYONE is expected to
report child or elder abuse or neglect.
• We need to get up-stream… the data we use is one year
or more behind.
• For each dollar we spend on the front end of a problem, we
save $13 on the backside.
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