"I-Stop" to stop prescription drug abuse

  With the growth of prescription drug abuse in rural communities, there has begun a need to figure out how to stop it. The death toll from overdose in 2010 reach 15,000 people and it was documented that 1 in 20 people over 11 admitted to taking a painkiller for non-medical reasons. The problem with prescription drugs is that they are difficult to control and monitor seeing that they are meant for the medical use for the person that the physician prescribed for. The State Senate past a Bill called “I-Stop” that allows for real-time prescription tracking that allows practitioners and pharmacist to follow the prescription. New York is trying to move away from paper prescriptions and to an electronic one. It also sets up a database so that they can easily view a patient’s controlled substance history.  The Bill also proposes setting up a Safe Disposal Program so when a patient has left over drugs, they can dispose of them without being tempted to give them to family or friends. As drug abuse prevalence and understanding evolves so must protocols to prevent it and so I think that this Bill is a great step towards that.

http://northcountrynow.com/news/state-senate-passes-i-stop-reduce-prescription-drug-abuse-epidemic-059430

Demolition of the former Shade Roller factory

The city of Ogdensburg is set to demolish the Shade Roller factory, which contains several buildings that have harmful materials. Some of these materials consist of lead based paint and asbestos. Breathing asbestos fibers can cause a buildup of scar-like tissue in the lungs, which is called asbestosis. This can result in loss of lung function that often progresses to disability and death. Asbestos also causes lung cancer and other diseases such as mesothelioma. Also it is reported that there may have been pollution at the site from improper removal of petroleum products and heavy metals. The articles focus is on demolishing this factory and restoring the waterfront. Care must be taken in the careful demolishing of these buildings so that the water will not be polluted and hurt the fishing community. Also care must be taken in protecting the workers that are doing the asbestos removal. I’m sure that there are strict rules and precautions to help protect them, but it still put them at a higher risk. Also all of the asbestos must be removed before they tear down the buildings to prevent any of it from getting in the air and possibly spreading it around if there is a strong wind. Again I’m sure that all safety measures will be upheld and these are not real issues however it is a concern.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110728/NEWS05/707289972