Accidental overdose program to lose staff

The Utah Department of Health will no longer have any employees working exclusively to lower the state's rate of accidental prescription drug overdoses when a two-year program expires this summer.

Accidental prescription drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury death in the state — in 2006, they passed vehicle crashes.

The health department has three staffers who have worked to lower the rate by identifying risk factors, creating guidelines for practitioners and producing public service announcements.

Dr. Robert Rolfs, state epidemiologist and the project's leader, said having the funding for the staff has created cooperation that may not continue if the program ends.