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Honoring Our Veterans

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.” — George Washington

As we honor our nation’s heroes this week, the words of our first president still resonate today with astute clarity. We have made major improvements in how our veterans are treated and appreciated over the years, but as long as we have homeless, addicted, mentally ill, and incarcerated servicemen, this mission is far from complete.


This infographic provides a great snapshot of Missouri’s service members, veterans, and their families; representing 9.3% of our state’s population. It also demonstrates the work that still needs to be done to improve the quality of life for the military community. Several state departments are diligently collaborating and working to swing the troublesome pendulum towards the positive.

Veteran’s Treatment Courts are making impressive strides in getting some of our most vulnerable on the road to recovery. By utilizing volunteer veterans and active duty soldiers as mentors, our veterans feel open to discuss military specific issues and receive the special guidance they need. This model, which is nationally recognized, crosses the traditional jurisdictions of our state’s Courts and Probation offices.


There are currently 10 Veteran’s Treatment Courts active in Missouri; up from 1 since its inception in 2010. In 2016, 247 veterans received the substance use treatment they deserved and needed. Since 2010, the number of veterans served has increased significantly each year, and 706 of our soldiers struggling with substance use disorders have participated in the program.


For other behavioral health issues, our military families can access resources from the Department of Mental Health. These include self-assessment screening tools and information for children, traumatic brain injuries, substance use, sexual trauma, and PTSD. Download this fact sheet from the Division of Behavioral Health and the Missouri Behavioral Health Alliance.

At Make the Connection, they can find resources that connect veterans, their families and friends, and other supporters to information, stories, and solutions to issues affecting their lives as they transition from active duty. It also has information about the life events and experiences that are unique to this population.

President Obama exclaimed: “It’s about how we treat our veterans every single day of the year. It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits that they’ve earned when they come home. It’s about serving all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America”.


These book-end presidents’ words remind us all to do our part and take action to serve those that served us.

 

2017 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

If a person with interest in behavioral health and substance use related policies were to describe this legislative session, they would probably narrow it down to two words; so close. ACT Missouri tracked 79 of these bills, and only four made it to the Governor’s desk; HB 115 to change airport alcohol sales, HB 336 for life insurance policies to contain suicide exclusions or limitations, SB 52 for suicide prevention and awareness, and SB 139 to establish a Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Fund, MO RX Cares Program, and modify the MO HealthNet Pharmacy Program.
For the 6th straight year, the Legislature has failed to pass a PDMP. Even though Representative Rehder’s and Senator Schatz’s HB 90, the Narcotics Control Act, had 70 “Actions” mentioned on its activity report, multiple amendments made, compromises proposed, conference committees formed, hundreds of testimonies heard, and the overwhelming support from the members of Safe and Strong Missouri, which includes 33 prominent state healthcare providers and trade associations, 11 law enforcement agencies, 26 employers, and 38 substance use prevention and recovery advocacy groups, it never was “Truly Agreed and Finally Passed”. U.S. Senator McCaskill has asked Governor Greitens to call a special session to get its passage accomplished this year.
Another heartbreaker for prevention and recovery advocates was Rep. Lynch and Sen. Brown’s HB 294, which would provide certain immunities for persons who seek medical assistance for a drug or alcohol overdose. It was set on the Senate calendar, but not called up for a vote. This bill was also referred to as Bailey and Cody’s law, both of whose overdose deaths may have been prevented if friends had not feared legal ramifications and called 911.
A prevention related bill that had some traction was Rep. Pikes’ HB 29 to add powdered alcohol to the existing state statutes; making it illegal to purchase by those under 21. It made it through the House with several other alcohol related bills attached as amendments, was heard in Senate committee, but stalled after that. Similarly, SB 490, requiring healthcare professionals to receive suicide prevention training, and HB 35, modifying admissibility of chemical test results in intoxication proceedings, passed out of their chambers, were heard in the other’s committee, set on the respective calendar, but were not called for a vote.
On the topic of marijuana, five senate and seven house bills were filed pertaining to legalizing marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, allowing hemp cultivation, and expanding hemp oil provisions. The bills that made the most progress were Rep. Curtman’s HB 170, and Rep. Neely’s HB 437. HB 170 would have allowed the Dept. of Agriculture to grow, harvest, and cultivate industrial hemp, was voted do pass out of senate committee. HB 437 would have allowed persons with certain serious medical conditions to use medical cannabis, was voted do pass out of House committee but didn’t make it out of the House Chamber.
Read the final ACT Missouri Bill Tracking Report.
ACT Missouri would like to thank everyone for your advocacy efforts this session, especially those that came to Jefferson City to share stories, provide testimony, and educate legislators on the importance of behavioral health policies. It is concerned citizens like you that truly make a difference. If you are interested in becoming involved in advocacy, you can sign up to receive our legislative reports, request copies of our Speak Up, Speak Out, Speak Hard Handbook, and attend our future trainings.  Email info@actmissouri.org to sign up!

April Drug Take Back – News From Around the State

Missouri Communities “Take Back” Unused Medications

Numerous communities around the state took advantage of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 29th. The DEA sponsored Take Back events provide an excellent opportunity to bring together community partners and law enforcement, educate the public about the scope of prescription drug misuse, and most importantly, get dangerous medications out of the hands of our vulnerable youth.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
“Prescription drug misuse has become a large public health problem, because misuse can lead to addiction, and even overdose deaths. For teens, it is a growing problem:

  • After marijuana and alcohol, prescription drugs are the most commonly misused substances by Americans age 14 and older.
  • Teens misuse prescription drugs for a number of reasons, such as to get high, to stop pain, or because they think it will help them with school work.
  • Most teens get prescription drugs they misuse from friends and relatives, sometimes without the person knowing.”

In Missouri, 10% of students have misused a prescription drug in the past 30 days. Nearly 30% report that they are “very easy” or “sort of easy” to obtain, and 31% state that they got the drugs from a family or friend; 13% of whom did so without permission. Another reason to prevent prescription drug misuse, especially opioid pain killers, is its connection to heroin addiction; in fact, nearly 80% of heroin users started with prescription opioids.
One very effective medication misuse prevention strategy is to reduce access, and the DEA sponsored Take Back events are a perfect vehicle to collect unused medications and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly manner.
The DEA’s St. Louis Division includes Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In the past eleven take backs since October of 2011, MO has disposed of 669,250 pounds of medication; 48% of the total collected in the six-state region! In the most recent event on April 29th, MO turned over 36,948 pounds of medication to the DEA for disposal.
Missouri’s Prevention Resource Centers provided some highlights of the events their service areas hosted. In the north-central region, the Linn County C2000 Coalition collected ten pounds, and the neighboring city of Trenton added an additional 15 pounds.First Call

In the Kansas City area, First Call collected multiple bags of unused drugs to turn into the DEA for disposal.

In Platte, Ray, and Clay counties, all twelve of their Permanent Prescription Drug Drop Boxes participated in the event, and the most rural area in the Tri-County Mental Health region collected almost 700 pounds in a six-month time frame.
Boone County offered 8 locations for disposal; four within the city limits of Columbia, and four in the surrounding towns of Ashland, Centralia, Hallsville, and Sturgeon. Jefferson City’s Police Department accepted unwanted medications in their lobby.

In the Springfield area, six pharmacies hosted events, and despite torrential downpours, they collected a total of 1,727 pounds; their third largest amount to date!

In the Southeast, the Perryville Police Department collected 35 pounds. The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department also hosted Take Backs. Excessive rain and flooding caused two cities in the region to cancel their events.
The SEMO Behavioral Health region hosted three events and collaborated with the Bernie Police Department and Chamber of Commerce. The Dexter and Poplar Bluff Police Departments turned over 160 and 174 pounds respectively to the DEA for safe disposal.SEMO Behavioral health drug take back

One of the latest Missouri communities to place a Permanent Prescription Drug Box was in the Bootheel region in East Prairie, and despite only being open for two days, the community got the word out and collected a substantial amount of prescription drugs.

These are just a few of the highlights from around the state. If your community hosted an event, please share it with us on Social Media! If you are interested in hosting a Take Back in your community, contact ACT Missouri.

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ACT Missouri Blog

Dec 06

Prevention Happened Here!

Dec 03

National Drug Take Back Totals

May 26

Prevention Wins Were Lean in 2019

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