The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative of Iowa partnered with local organizations CHPcommunity and the Iowa Department on Aging to provide safe disposal kits as part of a local meal delivery program.
CLIVE, IA – The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) of Iowa partnered with CHPcommunity and the Iowa Department on Aging to help prevent the misuse of prescription medicines by providing seniors across Iowa with drug deactivation disposable kits through a home-delivered meals program.
RALI Iowa is an alliance of local, state and national organizations dedicated to finding solutions to address the opioid crisis. As community members continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, RALI Iowa and their partners are continuing their efforts to address the opioid epidemic with information and resources to prevent substance misuse from home.
In Iowa, home-delivered nutrition services are offered through the Iowa Department on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging to older Iowans who are homebound. Home-delivered meals provide a wholesome meal plus a safety check, and sometimes the only opportunity for face-to-face contact or conversation for the day. This program is a primary access point for other essential community-based services and an ideal way to get free drug deactivation disposable kits to seniors all across Iowa.
"We are very excited to partner with RALI and CHPcommunity on this project. The Area Agencies on Aging and the older adults they serve will greatly benefit from the drug deactivation kits,” said Alexandra Bauman, Nutrition Health & Wellness Director at the Iowa Department on Aging. Often, people who become addicted to opioids started by misusing prescription medicines. Removing unused or expired medications from the home can help prevent this.
Of those who participate in the meal delivery program, (1)
69% are aged 75 years or older, with an average age of 79.
More than 50% live alone.
In Iowa, home-delivered meals are available to frail, homebound or isolated individuals who are age 60 or over and, in some cases, their caregivers, spouses and/or persons with disabilities.
CHPcommunity is a nonprofit organization that works alongside community partners to help strengthen efforts that promote healthier people, environments, and systems. This includes collaboration with a broad array of 50+ stakeholders through dedicated task forces to Eat Well, Move More, and Feel Better. As a RALI Iowa partner, the Feel Better Task force implements key strategies that relate to enhancing local primary prevention efforts and increasing awareness about the dangers of substance use and misuse. CHPcommunity is creating partnership opportunities with local and state agencies and community-based organizations to help disseminate drug deactivation disposable kits to communities across Iowa.
As a collaborative effort, 5,800 drug deactivation disposable kits will be delivered through the home-delivered meals program at four Area Agencies on Aging. Those participating agencies include Milestones Area Agency on Aging, Heritage Area Agency on Aging, Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, and Aging Resources of Central Iowa.
(1) https://www.iowaaging.gov/programs-services/health-prevention-wellness/nutrition/meals
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The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) supports programs that help prevent the misuse of prescription medicines so that more lives can be saved from the opioid crisis. We do this by bringing together community leaders and elected officials who are committed to finding effective solutions and sharing ideas that will make a difference across the state.
CONTACT
Trina Radske-Suchan, President
Phone: 515-635-1285
Email: tsuchan@chpcommunity.org
Website: chpcommunity.org
