The Southeast Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Center (ROTA-RC), an integral initiative under the umbrella of the Center for the Study and Promotion of Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) at the FSU College of Social Work, raises awareness about the alarming rates of teen opioid misuse, the consequences of overdose and the importance of prevention strategies for teenagers.
Intentional opioid misuse by teenagers accounts for nearly three-quarters of the calls made to poison control centers, according to Dr. Natalie I. Rine, director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Almost 70% of teens using prescription opioids without a physician’s order access them through friends and relatives, both with and without their knowledge. Drug misuse often results in severe outcomes that include hospitalizations and fatalities, with the deaths from drug overdose surging by more than 50% since 2000.