St. Louis County Proposes Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch) (Read article)

Legislation has been presented to the St. Louis County Council that would establish a prescription drug monitoring program in St. Louis County. The legislation, proposed by Councilman (and Medical Society member) Sam Page, MD, and endorsed by St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, would establish a database to monitor the dispensing of OxyContin and other prescription painkillers at St. Louis County pharmacies.

Also speaking at County Executive Stenger’s Clayton news conferences was Medical Society member Joseph Forand, MD, president of the medical staff at St. Anthony’s Medical Center, a longtime advocate for a state prescription drug monitoring program.

The hope is that the City of St. Louis and other counties across Missouri will voluntarily join the St. Louis County database.

(Read full article)
(Read Tony Messenger column on how SLMMS/MSMA member Councilman Sam Page, MD, and MSMA member and state Sen. Rob Schaaf, MD are on opposite sides of this issue)