TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) – Governor John Kasich is working with emergency rooms and urgent care centers across Ohio to help curb prescription drug abuse.
The governor unveiled new voluntary protocols for hospital emergency rooms Monday aimed at identifying patients who may be addicted to prescription drugs.
"In years passed, an individual could visit their family doctor, then go to urgent care clinic, then go to a hospital or another emergency room, and really those types of patterns were different to track," said Brian Kaminski with ProMedica.
Now, hospitals which follow the guidelines will communicate and identify potential addicts.
"We partnered with all the ProMedica hospitals in this region to create a database of individuals who have an abusive pattern," said Kaminski. "We're also able to track individuals through a statewide database. That allows us to detect what types of prescriptions individuals are getting at local pharmacies."
