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Sean D. Reyes
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Utah Opioid Task Force Presents on Resources Helping Combat the Opioid Crisis

March 6, 2020

This week, the Utah Opioid Task Force hosted a Lunch & Learn featuring four TED Talk-style presentations on the types of community-based information and education seminars that the Task Force intends to develop and deliver in 2020.

Listen to the presentations below:

Chief Tom Ross with the Bountiful Police Department presented on the pilot project Davis County Receiving Center which offers a chance at recovery rather than jail time. The Receiving Center opened in December 2019. Read more here.

Dr. Jennifer Plumb with Utah Naloxone presented on the importance of having a Naloxone kit if you or someone you know is struggling with addiction. Naloxone saves lives by reversing an opioid overdose and giving first responders time to arrive. Plumb demonstrated the easy-to-use kit and discussed how to recognize an overdose. For more information, go here.

Anna Fondario with the Utah Department of Health presented on resources provided by the Department, their current efforts to combat the opioid crisis, and the Department of Health Data Dashboard, which provides an interactive, visual presentation of health data in Utah with the intent to provide actionable health-related data. Check out the Dashboard here and check out Stop the Opidemic, a campaign that can help you find resources and information on the opioid epidemic in Utah.  

Evan Done with Utah Support Advocates for Recover Awareness (USARA) discussed their peer-based recovery support system for those struggling with an opioid addiction. Their services focus on the reality of long-term recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs for individuals and their families in Utah. For more information go here.

Watch the presentations below:

Abuse registry helps families protect loved ones

November 29, 2018

Seven cases of elder abuse have been reported in the state of Utah in 2018. Seven. 

That number may seem low, unless one of the seven was your elderly mother or father or grandparent.

Did you know that families can be more involved and proactive in monitoring caregivers and the care their loved ones receive?

The Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (UNAR), which oversees the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and certification, monitors abuse cases in Utah and blacklists those convicted of abuse. This abuse registry is regularly updated so that abusers won’t be hired again.

The registry is also available to the public. That means families can check that the person caring for your beloved family member does not have a history of abuse. 

If you believe that someone you love is experiencing abuse at the hands of their provider, please contact Adult Protective Services (APS) at 1-800-371-7897.

Below is the process that will happen so you know what to expect once that report is received. 

  1. Adult Protective Services launches an official investigation.
  2. If evidence of abuse is found, APS reaches out to the Utah Department of Health (DOH).
  3. Utah DOH reaches out to the Utah Attorney General’s Office for legal representation and prosecution of the case.
  4. Utah DOH notifies the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry. If convicted, the name is added to the abuse registry.

The Standard-Examiner recently reported on a case being handled by the AG’s Office, which you can read here: Nurse’s aide charged with abusing vulnerable adults appears in court.

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