The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control program has developed a five-year strategic plan that will be carried out through the broad, cross-sector Safe Med LA coalition.
The strategic plan utilizes a "9-6-10" approach, with 9 Action Teams focusing on 6 priority areas with 10 key objectives, each tackling a specific component of the prescription drug abuse problem.
The various Safe Med LA Action Teams will implement SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals to achieve their identified objectives.
As such, the work of the Safe Med LA coalition will be an organized, coordinated, and multifaceted countywide effort that involves activated members from various County and external stakeholder groups, unified in their mission to reduce the toll of prescription drug abuse.
Safe Med LA is a broad, cross-sector coalition that will take a coordinated and multi-pronged approach to comprehensively address the prescription drug abuse epidemic in Los Angeles County, guided by its five-year strategic plan.
Working Together to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse and Overdose Deaths
20% reduction in prescription drug abuse deaths in Los Angeles County by the year 2020.
Drug overdose deaths have more than doubled in the U.S. over the past 14 years, and half of these deaths (about 22,000 per year) are related to prescription drugs.
In Los Angeles County, approximately 400 people die every year from accidental overdose on prescription opioid medications.
Safe Med LA employs a "9-6-10" approach organized into 9 Action Teams focusing on 6 priority areas with 10 key objectives, as outlined in its strategic plan. Action Teams are organized around a Steering Committee comprised of 1-2 lead members from each Action Team. The Steering Committee will guide coalition efforts to leverage synergies between teams.