It's a horrifying statistic that prescription medications caused the overdose deaths of 49 people in Greater Bendigo from 2009 to 2015.
With such an ever present danger it's essential to raise community awareness about this issue.
Bendigo Community Health Services is supporting a Scriptwise community event in Bendigo on Tuesday, February 26, that will start the discussion about what our community can do to reduce medication harms.
The event in the Bendigo TAFE auditorium at 23 Mundy Street will run from 3.30pm to 5pm.
Our Alcohol and Other Drugs nurse practitioner Cam Cail will join a panel discussion with local health professionals and experts followed by questions and answers from the audience.
A mother who lost her son to an accidential opiod overdose will be a guest speaker at the event while a short documentary called One Too Many will screen.
A new system called SafeScript will be introduced this year after a successful trial in the Wimmera area of Victoria.
SafeScript provides doctors and pharmacists with access to a person's prescription history for high risk pain and seadtive medications to enable safer clinical decisions.
Scriptwise is holding community events to raise awareness about the dangers of medication and the fact there are effective treatments and supports available for people who have developed a medication dependence.
Use this link to register for the Scriptwise community event in Bendigo on Tuesday: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/preventing-harm-in-bendigo-tickets-55321967494
If you are concerned about your medication use or that of a loved one, please use one of these actions:
Speak to your GP or another health professional.
- Call the 24-hour SafeScript Pharmaceutical Helpline on 1800 737 233.
- Call Reconnexion between 9am and 5pm to speak about benzodiazepine use on 1300 273 266.
- Call Family Drug Support on 1800 368 186.
- Contact Counselling Online at www.counsellingonline.org.au
- Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyondblue on 1300 224 636.
Bendigo Community Health Services runs Alcohol and Other Drugs support programs and Family Drug Support programs. Learn more at https://www.bchs.com.au/alcohol-and-other-drugs or call us on 5448 1600.