Commission votes against joining prescription drug monitoring program

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 11/11/20

VIENNA — In a split vote taken at last Thursday’s Maries County Commission meeting, the commissioners voted 2 to 1 to not enter the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) with St. …

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Commission votes against joining prescription drug monitoring program

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VIENNA — In a split vote taken at last Thursday’s Maries County Commission meeting, the commissioners voted 2 to 1 to not enter the prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) with St. Louis County Department of Public Health.

The PDMP was supported by the pharmacists who work in Maries County, the Director of the Phelps-Maries Health Department, Your Community Health Center, the county prosecuting attorney, and the sheriff.

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he’s glad they held a public hearing on the issue. He thought it was a good hearing. He asked his fellow commissioners if they still support signing the ordinance to join with St. Louis County health department and other counties throughout the state to become part of the PDMP. The program monitors opioids and other addictive prescription pills and flags users who buy more pills than they need.

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said after the hearing last week attended by State Rep. Tom Hurst, who was not in favor of the program, Fagre said he thinks the state should be the one to act on this issue. Fagre said the state is pushing its responsibility down to the counties. “The state should do its own work,” he said.

Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said he opposes it as well. It was mentioned at the public hearing that the database for the PDMP could be hacked and information shared that could be used to stop people from buying guns. Drewel thinks the program may be government intrusion and he mentioned the possibility of breaching the database.

Stratman said he will vote to sign the ordinance for the program. He said if somebody losses a loved one because they failed to act on this, he could not look them in the face if he didn’t vote yes.

At the public hearing on Oct. 29, Felicia Richards from Your Community Health Center said the PDMP is one tool in the toolbox to assist health care providers with the opioid crisis. The program would allow pharmacists and physicians to see if a person is filling multiple prescriptions for addictive pills from various places. She said they are careful and a team of health care providers has a conversation to make the best decision about the individual.

Prosecutor Tony Skouby said the PDMP is to help curb the activities of pill shoppers.

Sheriff Chris Heitman said the program has good intentions, but the data breaches may be a problem. Richards said she’s not heard of any data breaches.

Two unnamed drug officers spoke in favor of the program saying these pills are expensive and a user gets the pills and sells them for $3 a pill. Also younger kids with injuries can become narcotics abusers. Any program will be a benefit, they said.

Stratman said the information is only accessible to pharmacists and health care providers.

It was noted medical databases are tied together and Richards said only for Medicaid.

Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Scott John said the program only affects people who are buying drugs locally. It only impacts the two pharmacies in Maries County.

Stratman said it will save lives.

Rep. Hurst said it has unintended consequences. In seven out of the last eight years this issue has been a proposed law in the State Legislature and has been voted down. He said if it was working Maries County would be at the bottom of the list. He mentioned the data breach and what that database might mean to a drug dealer as the incentive is there. It might label some people as drug users who are not. The state decided to wait. “If you did nothing or did do it, people will overdose,” Hurst said.

Lt. John said people with low incomes sell their prescriptions and complain of pain to a doctor and get more. Then they take one-third of the pills themselves and sell the remaining two-thirds of the pills. It doubles their income. Hurst said this program won’t stop that.

One of the drug officers said they are talking about helping people and other similar programs have worked.

Richards said Phelps-Maries Health Department Director Ashley Wann said health care providers must have active, current licenses and the ability to prescribe. To date there have been no data breaches. 

Ron Calzone said China could buy Appriss, the data analytics company contracted with by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health with the PDMP.

Richards said there is an opioid crisis and this is just one piece to help combat it. One thing won’t stop overdoses. Families lose kids. They anticipate a 50 percent increase in opioid use from 2020 to 2021.

Hurst said they need to get the drugs off the street and not the pharmacy. He thinks its more beneficial to wait.

Lt. John said there is the potential of data breach to prevent someone from getting a gun. But he thinks this program affects the lower level user and abusers and will help stop it before they go too far down the drug path.

Drewel said all of the counties around Maries County have this and it’s not helping that much.

Lt. John said it takes multiple things. It won’t help long-term addiction, but may stop the users who sell pills and it only impacts people who buy prescriptions locally.