Opioid use is the primary driver of drug overdose deaths in Montana.  According to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services Injury Prevention Program, Drug Poisoning Deaths in Montana, 2007-2018., thirty-Five percent of all drug overdose deaths are attributable to opioids.  Montana has 89 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents.   The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that over one in ten high school students has taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription.

The best ways to prevent prescription opioid misuse and overdose is to be informed on safe usage, storage and disposal.  (Click the links below to find out more)

Prescription Opioid Misuse Prevention

Fake/Counterfeit Prescription Pills Fact Sheet

Prescription Opioid Education and Awareness Toolkit Module 2: Prescription Opioids and Home Safety: Proper Storage & Disposal (PowerPoint)

Proper Use-Storage-Disposal of Precription Medications

  • For additional information on proper usage of prescription opioids:

Know The Risks And Side Effects Of Using Prescription Opioids

  • For additional information on proper storage of prescription opioids:

Medication Storage Information

Lock It Up, Medication Safety In Your Home

  • For additional information on proper disposal of prescription opioids:

Proper Ways To Dispose Of Unused Medications

Find a prescription drop box location in Montana

National Take Back Day

deterra medication disposal bag graphic

EMAIL REQUEST FOR MEDICATION DISPOSAL POUCHES 

***These pouches are made available through our grant funding and therefore supplies will be limited***

A  maximum of 100 pouches per order can be requested

 

Overdose prevention:

Help Save Lives From Overdose Act (2021)

Naloxone

Naloxone is a synthetic prescription opioid medication used to reverse a prescription opioid overdose.  There are 3 FDA-approved formulations available to Montanans:

  1. Injectable: professional training required
  2. Auto-injectable: prefilled auto-injection device for families or emergency personnel to inject quickly into outer thigh. The device provides verbal instruction to the user describing how to deliver the medication.
  3. Nasal Spray: prefilled, sprayed into one nostril while patients lay on their back. *No professional training required

Naloxone Map-find a distributor in Montana

Naloxone Training Courses

Train to carry and administer naloxone and learn how to train others to carry and administer naloxone. 

Additional Naloxone Training Information (one-pager)

Montana 2022 Standing Order for Naloxone Opioid Antagonists

This standing order authorizes pharmacists who maintain a current active license practicing in a pharmacy located in Montana to initiate a prescription and dispense a naloxone opioid antagonist formulation listed in this standing order.

Fake/Counterfeit Prescription Pills Fact Sheet

 

Overdose death in the United States has increased at an alarming rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic with an increase of 30% in 2020 compared to 2019.

Despite rising rates of overdose, substance use-related harms are preventable. Evidence-based practices exist across a continuum of care for people at risk of overdose, yet they often face significant challenges accessing treatment and navigating systems of care. Local and state health departments are uniquely well suited to link people at risk of overdose to services and care to prevent overdose and support long-term recovery. To help public health practitioners prevent overdose and support linkage to care efforts, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed Overdose Response and Linkage to Care: A Roadmap for Health Departments, a technical assistance tool informed by real-world experience. 

Treatment and Recovery 

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a pattern of opioid use that causessignificant impairment or distress.The term OUD is preferredover other terms such as opioid abuse, opioid dependence, oropioid addiction.

When a person has two or more disorders at the same time or one right after the other, it is called comorbitity.  Comorbitity happens frequently with substance use disorders and mental health disorders According to the National Institute On Drug Abuse, of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders 37.9% also had mental illness.  

Demonstrating the Value of Recovery Housing Research shows that recovery housing contributes to improved outcomes for individuals who are recovering from substance use challenges. Earlier this year, the National Council – through funding from the Opioid Response Network – hosted a technical expert panel (TEP) to explore new ways to best demonstrate the value of recovery housing in the U.S. Read our report to learn the key strategies and recommendations identified by the TEP.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

VISIT: the National Suicide Prevention LifelineCrisisChatwebpage

Thrive for Montana

As a component of our 2018 SAMHSA project, the Thrive for Montana program was expanded.  FREE enrollment opportunities are available to adult Montanans!  What is Thrive? Thrive by Waypoint Health Innovations is a self-paced and confidential online program for people who want to take charge of their emotional well-being. The program is comprised of three modules that teach cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) skills that may help the user communicate more confidently, think more constructively, and do more activities that make them feel good.  

Thrive for Montana (an online emotional well-being program)--CLICK HERE FOR FREE ONLINE REGISTRATION

 

  • Announcing teen Mental Health First Aid Launch  We’re excited to announce that teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is now available nationally in-person and online! It’s more important than ever for teens to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges – for themselves and others. The tMHFA curriculum addresses trauma, self-care, wellness and resilience. You can be the difference for your teens and peers by bringing tMHFA to your school or organization. Learn how to get started today!

The National Council created a directory of resources for addressing health equity and racial justice in communities - learn more here: The National Council for Mental Wellbeing

  • The Department of Education is announcing a new resource, “Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health,” that outlines key challenges in providing and accessing mental health supports in schools and provides evidence-based recommendations for educators, staff, and providers to create a system of supports for students with behavioral health needs and their families. See the full fact sheet from White House: Improving Access and Care for Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions

To access the “Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral and Mental Health,” pdf, please visit https://www.ed.gov/and type mental health in the search bar.

 
  • The Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index:  Shatterproof and The Hartford co-developed the Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index (SASI) – a first-of-its-kind measurement tool designed to assess attitudes about substance use and people who use substances from the public. Supported by Ipsos alongside Dr. Brea Perry and Dr. Anne Krendl from Indiana University, the SASI also measures the perceptions of those with a SUD, including the degree in which they have internalized this exclusion.  Download the Report  Eliminating the stigma and discrimination faced by those with substance use disorders (SUD) has never been more important. Despite decades of action combatting the addiction crisis, negative beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors remain the largest and most persistent drivers of negative outcomes for those struggling with addiction.  During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 to March 2021, 96,000 people died from overdose – the highest number in history. At the same time, 20 million American adults continued to suffer from the disease of addiction. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this crisis by increasing economic instability and social isolation, while reducing access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services. Structural racism and already-existing health inequities have worsened the impacts of the pandemic for marginalized communities, leading to increased rates of substance use and overdose. These effects will be felt for years to come, highlighting the urgent need to act.