Provide names of other journalists involved.
SPECIAL NOTE: I have sent 5 DVD copies of the one hour show to the address you provided along with a print out of the first page of this entry form.
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
PRESCRIPTION PREDICAMENT 02/14/12 7:00pm 02/14/12 10:00pm 02/15/12 12:00pm 02/18/12 9:00am 02/19/12 2:00pm 04/03/12 10:00pm 04/03/12 7:00pm 04/04/12 12:00pm 04/07/12 9:00am Total occurrences: 9 It is also viewable free at WVIA.org.
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
PR RELEASE: Prescription Predicament is the Topic on the next Live Call the Doctor on WVIA (2012-02-08) PITTSTON, PA (wvia) – What’s the best way to discard medicine you no longer need? Find out as the doctors on an all-new one hour live Call the Doctor discuss the Prescription Predicament, Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. on WVIA TV. When you look into your medicine cabinet, you see your medical history, which may include leftover pain medication, antibiotic pills, cholesterol lowering medication, small bottles half-filled with potent medicine and elixirs no good to anyone. How do you dispose of them? Why shouldn’t you toss them in the garbage or flush them down the toilet? Our panel will provide proper ways to rid your life of those unwanted medications and supply valuable information so you can overcome the prescription predicament. Joining Moderator George Thomas on our panel are John Jones, a pharmacist with Geisinger Health System, Robert Buehner Jr , Montour County DA, John Arway, Executive Director of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Kara Malitsky, Pharm.D., R.Ph, Director of Pharmacy Management at BlueCross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Viewers may call in questions during the live show at 1-800-326-9842 or submit their questions online at http://wviatv.org/live-show-comments. SHOW INTRODUCTION: Hello and welcome to Call the Doctor Live from your public media studios. I’m George Thomas. Three points: Point One: Prescription drugs abuse is the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Elderly persons use prescription medications approximately three times as frequently as the general population. 4 million people – almost 2 percent of the population currently abuse prescription drugs: drugs like pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants. Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website suggests that prescription drug abuse is on the rise in the United States. In one decade, the number of new users of pain relievers increased by 181 percent. In one decade, the number of individuals who started using tranquilizers increased by 132 percent. In one decade, the number of people initiating stimulant use increased by 165 percent. Those are not just stats folks; those are real people abusing prescription drugs that result in real harmful effects. Point Two: It’s not just the elderly. The most dramatic increase in new users occurs in the 12 to 25 year old range. Kids… teenagers finding or stealing their parents or grandparents drugs and taking them. An estimated 9 million people aged 12 and older used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons with more than a quarter of them saying they used the drugs for the first time. Point Three: We’ve been told for the longest time to flush our old prescription drugs down the toilet. Guess what. The chemicals from those millions of pills being flushed are showing up in our ground water and fish. Our guest from the PA Fish and Boat Commission has information that will shock you! If you have a problem or think you have a problem with prescription drug abuse, no matter how old you are, you can call us during the show and speak to our panel. If you would like to be anonymous, just tell our call screener. If you have a loved one that you know or suspect has a problem, stay tuned to this show whether you decide to call in or not. We’ll have help for you and your family by educating you on prescription drug abuse – giving you the signs of abuse, and how to get help. We’ve assembled regional experts and they are ready to answer your questions about the Prescription Predicament of pills being improperly disposed of or left around for others to take. What makes Call The Doctor so very unique is the ability for you to interact Live with our region’s finest experts for an hour as we go beyond the trendy news sound-bite and offer real information and help for you and your family. So we’re going to open up our toll-free lines right now and give you the opportunity to ask your questions about the Prescription Predicament of pills being improperly disposed of or left around for others to take.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Comprehensive research was undertaken by the moderator of the one hour show in order to conduct a thorough question and answer format using the four panelists as experts not only answering the moderator’s questions, but questions called in or emailed in live during the program. The panel of experts included the following: John Jones: the Vice President of Pharmacy at Geisinger Health System. Robert Buehner: a recently retired Montour County District Attorney. John Arway: the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Dr. Kara Malitsky: a Pharmacist who is the Director of Pharmacy Management at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and has many years of experience in the pharmacy industry.
Explain types of human sources used.
The panel of experts included the following: John Jones: the Vice President of Pharmacy at Geisinger Health System. Robert Buehner: a recently retired Montour County District Attorney. John Arway: the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Dr. Kara Malitsky: a Pharmacist who is the Director of Pharmacy Management at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and has many years of experience in the pharmacy industry.
Results:
The program solicited a very positive response as to the number of questions called in and emailed in during the program. In addition, we received this note (which encapsulates the responses) from H. W. Wieder Jr. who was the Sr. Vice President Emeritus and Sr. Consultant for Geisinger Health System. Among his many notable environmental contributions, Mr. Wieder was a founding member and Director of the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies. “I thought the show last evening on prescriptions was real good. It will certainly educate the public in regards to proper disposal of medications and help increase visibility regarding the environmental impact. If possible, I’d like to order 3-4 DVDs of the program. They will be very useful as Geisinger and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission move their projects regarding public awareness forward. Also, please let me know when the program will repeat so I can inform Geisinger Health Systems, the PA Fish and Boat Commission, and the law enforcement agencies to promote it. Thanks again. As usual, good job!”
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No follow up, clarifications or corrections needed.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Do your research as this topic has many facets to it that are not readily known by the general public. These facets have a direct impact and people’s lives and on the environment in which they live. The topic is not just about “old pill collection”. It is about prescription drug abuse, the theft and usage of prescription drugs by teenagers and the dangerous environmental impact now being recorded and recognized publically.