Health department to study prescription drug deaths

Utahns died of prescription drug overdoses at a rate of nearly one a day last year, leaving behind a host of unanswered questions in what the state medical examiner has called an "epidemic."

In 2007, 317 Utahns died from non-illicit drug-related overdoses. The Utah Department of Health announced on Thursday it will launch a unique research project to examine each such death individually over the next year in hopes of reducing the numbers.

It has hired someone from the medical examiner's office who will contact loved ones of the individual to find out what was going on in the deceased person's life at the time of death, according to Erin Johnson, health department manager for the prescription medication program. Questions will include whether there was a history of substance abuse, illicit or not, reasons for taking prescription drugs and underlying causes. Health officials hope to begin the project in the next couple of weeks.

"This addresses one of the top challenges to Utah's public health world," said David Sundwall, executive director of the Utah Department of Health. "We're really embarrassed by this —and we should be."

Health officials realize that the days immediately after an unexpected death are very difficult, Johnson said. But they hope that families and friends will participate, to help reduce the number of such deaths.

"We don't know what it's going to be like," Johnson said. "We hope families will cooperate, although it's a tough time."

The project has support from the Labor Commission and the divisions of Occupational and Professional Licensing and Mental Health and Substance Abuse. They plan to team up with the University of Utah Intermountain Injury Control Research Center to get answers to questions not only regarding the prescription-related overdose deaths, but also the state's high suicide rate.

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com