An ordinance to implement a prescription drug monitoring program in Springfield will go to the full city council for a vote after a council committee--the Community Involvement Committee—unanimously agreed Tuesday to take that action.
Before the vote, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Springfield’s Healthy Living Alliance recommended moving forward with the ordinance.
Springfield is planning to join a largely state-wide effort to receive a federal grant to implement a PDMP. The grant would cover the cost of a program for the first two years.
According to the health department, it will convene a meeting with pharmacists in Greene County to outline the process for them and address any concerns before the ordinance is sent to council.
Missouri is currently the only state without a prescription drug monitoring program.
In Greene County, the number of opioid overdoses has grown from a rate of 8.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 to 31.6 deaths per 100,000 for the latest data available, in 2015.
