Showing posts with label Secretariat of Public Security (Mexico). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Secretariat of Public Security (Mexico). Show all posts

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Signs Executive Order Establishing the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse

Ritalin
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Governor Terry McAuliffe today signed Executive Order 29 establishing the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse.  The task force will recommend immediate steps to address a growing and dangerous epidemic of prescription opioid and heroin abuse in the Commonwealth.  The order asks the task force to suggest strategies that will raise public awareness about the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, train health care providers on best practices for pain management, identify treatment options and alternatives to incarceration for people with addiction, and promote the safe storage and disposal of prescription drugs.  The task force will also seek to expand use of the rescue drug, naloxone, which has been shown to prevent death from overdose, and leverage the Prescription Monitoring Program to reduce abuse of prescription drugs.  Overall, through these efforts, the task force will seek a measurable reduction in deaths from prescription drug and heroin abuse.
“Prescription painkiller and heroin abuse is a nationwide problem, and is spreading rapidly across the Commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe.“We must take immediate action in Virginia, or these terrible trends will continue to ravage our families, our businesses and our economy.  As part of my plan, A Healthy Virginia, I am creating this statewide task force so we can identify and implement strategies that will prevent drug abuse and help people with addiction get the treatment they need to recover.  I am confident that by working together to address this growing problem we will be able to make our communities safer, save lives, and put us on a pathway toward building a new Virginia economy.”
Governor McAuliffe was joined by Senator Tim Kaine at the announcement, who noted: “I am grateful to Governor McAuliffe for forming a task force to address the prescription drug and heroin abuse epidemic that is threatening the health and safety of our communities. This summer, I witnessed firsthand the impact of addiction and the importance of recovery as I spoke with Virginians across the Commonwealth, including at a drug court graduation in Salem and a Project REVIVE training session in Lebanon. I’m proud to see Virginia taking innovative approaches to combat this crisis and I am committed to being a partner at the federal level.”
The Task Force will be co-chaired by Dr. Bill Hazel, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and Brian Moran, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and will be composed of representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, the legislature, and the judiciary, as well as relevant state and local agencies, law enforcement, health professionals, community advocates, and individuals with personal experience with addiction.
“We recognize that we cannot simply arrest our way out of the serious opioid and heroin problem we face,” stated Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran.  “Using a collaborative approach that addresses public health and public safety, we can save lives, reduce crime and target scarce law enforcement resources on dealers and traffickers”

Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel added: “Health care providers have been effectively engaged in the effort to discourage misuse of prescription opioids.  The rise of heroin abuse should not discourage us, but inspire us to work harder, in coordination with our partners to prevent heroin addiction and overdose death. The work we began last year to reduce prescription drug abuse offers a sound foundation for our future efforts.”


The full text of Executive Order 29 is below.

NUMBER TWENTY NINE (2014)


ESTABLISHING THE GOVERNOR’S TASK FORCE ON
PRESCRIPTION DRUG AND HEROIN ABUSE


            Nationally, prescription drug and heroin abuse has reached epidemic proportions. Since 2000, deaths from prescription drug overdoses in Virginia have more than doubled, while deaths from heroin overdoses have doubled in the past two years. Though prescription drugs are generally safe when used as prescribed, the misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers (opioids) can lead to addiction, and even death. In addition, individuals that are addicted to opioids are shifting to heroin, as prescription drugs become less available.

            Prescription opioid and heroin abuse has also led to an increased burden on law enforcement and elevated health care costs from drug-related emergency department visits and treatment admissions. While the numbers of Virginians requiring treatment for addiction to drugs are substantial, resources for treating those who are addicted are limited. It is vital to the Commonwealth’s interests to take immediate steps to reverse this dangerous trend of abuse. Therefore, I am directing relevant state and local agencies, health and behavioral health care professionals and organizations, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to work together toward reducing prescription opioid and heroin addiction, curtailing related criminal activity, and enhancing the health, safety, and well-being of all Virginians.

Establishment of the Task Force

            Accordingly, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor under Article V of the Constitution of Virginia and under the laws of the Commonwealth, including, but not limited to §§ 2.2-134 and 2.2-135 of the Code of Virginia, and subject to my continuing and ultimate authority and responsibility to act in such matters, I hereby establish the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse (“Task Force”).

            The Task Force will serve in an advisory role, in accordance with § 2.2-2100 of the Code of Virginia, and will be responsible for recommending short-term and long-term measures that can be taken to tackle prescription drug and heroin abuse and addiction, using best practices and evidence-based strategies.
Composition of the Task Force

            The Secretary of Health and Human Resources and Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security will serve as Co-Chairs. The Task Force will be composed of representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, legislature, and judiciary, as well as relevant state and local agencies, law enforcement, health and behavioral health care professionals, providers, community advocates, and individuals with personal experience, as appointed by the Governor. The Governor may appoint any other person(s) deemed necessary and proper to carry out the assigned functions.

Key Objectives

            The Task Force will offer recommendations to meet the Commonwealth’s objectives listed under the following five major areas: 1) education, 2) treatment, 3) data and monitoring, 4) drug storage and disposal, and 5) enforcement. 

            The Task Force will also recommend specific metrics to be used to track progress in each of these five areas, and will suggest a target for each area with a date by which the goals should be met.
Overall, the Task Force will seek measures for the reduction in deaths from prescription drug and heroin abuse within 5 years.

1.     Education
·       Raise public awareness about the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs
·       Distribute information about appropriate use, secure storage, and disposal of prescription drugs
·       Train health care providers regarding best practices for opioid prescribing, pain management, the use of the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), and identification and treatment of individuals at risk of substance abuse through screening, intervention, and referral tools
·       Train first responders to more effectively respond to calls involving overdose, and use evidence-based interventions to reduce overdose deaths

2.     Treatment
·       Improve access to and availability of treatment services
·       Foster best practices and adherence to standards for treatment of individuals addicted to opioids
·       Strengthen and expand the capacity of Virginia’s health workforce to respond to substance abuse treatment needs, including encouraging health professions schools and continuing education programs to provide more education about how to identify and treat substance abuse

3.     Data and Monitoring
·       Share and integrate data among relevant licensing boards, state and local    agencies, law enforcement, courts, health care providers and organizations,     and programs such as the PMP, in order to clarify and address public safety and public health concerns, understand emerging trends, and utilize data-driven decision-making to mitigate harm 

4.     Storage and Disposal
·       Advance effective solutions that lead to safe storage and proper disposal of potentially dangerous prescription drugs

5.     Enforcement
·       Identify and promote evidence-based best practices and strategies across the criminal justice system to address public safety risks and treatment needs of individuals with opioid addiction, training in the use of life saving interventions, expanded alternatives to incarceration, including drug courts, and cross-system collaboration to improve access to and the availability of treatment
Staffing

            Staff support for the Task Force will be furnished by the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources and the Office of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and such other agencies and offices as designated by the Governor. The Task Force will meet upon the call of the Chair at least four times per year. The Task Force will provide initial recommendations to the Governor on or before December 31, 2014, a comprehensive implementation plan by June 30, 2015, and any additional reports as necessary.

Effective Date

            This Executive Order shall be effective upon its signing and, pursuant to §§ 2.2-134 and   2.2-135 of the Code of Virginia, shall remain in full force and effect for a year from its signing or until superseded or rescinded. 

            Given under my hand and under the Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia this 26th day of September, 2014.






Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor






Attest:             _______________________________________
                        Levar M. Stoney, Secretary of the Commonwealth


Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Administration Appointments

English: Map of regions of the Federal Emergen...
English: Map of regions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced additional appointments to his administration today. The appointees will join McAuliffe’s administration focused on finding common ground with members of both parties on issues that will grow Virginia’s economy and create more jobs across the Commonwealth.


Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security


Curtis Brown, Chief Deputy State Coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Curtis Brown has homeland security and emergency management policy experience at the federal, state, and local levels.  Most recently, he served as the Emergency Management Administrator for the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), where he worked with federal, state, and local homeland security and emergency management officials to promote seamless coordination, build capabilities, and develop preparedness plans.  Prior to joining the HRPDC, Curtis served as Professional Staff on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, where he was responsible for oversight of several Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency initiatives, including emergency communications, preparedness grants, and homeland defense.  Additionally, he served as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Tim Kaine in the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness with responsibility for developing emergency preparedness policies for state agencies.  Curtis received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Radford University, his Master of Public Administration from Virginia Tech, and his Master of Arts in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness from Virginia Commonwealth University.  He is also a graduate of the Virginia Executive and Commonwealth Management Institutes.


Secretariat of the Commonwealth


Board of Conservation and Recreation

·       Patti Jackson of Mechanicsville, Senior Director, Partner Relationships, American Cancer Society
·       Andrew C. Jennison of Vienna, Deputy Director, Governmental Relations, H&R Block
·       Isaac J. Sarver of Dublin, Western Virginia Political Director, Mark Warner for Virginia

Board of Directors of the Virginia Resources Authority

·       Thomas L. Hasty, III, CRP* of Chesapeake, Senior Executive Vice President and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee, TowneBank

Board of Medicine

·       J. Randolph Clements, DPM of Roanoke, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Carilion Clinic,  Associate Professor of Surgery, Virginia Tech-Carilion School of Medicine, Residency Director, Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
·       Maxine Lee, M.D. of Roanoke, Staff Anesthesiologist, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke Ambulatory Surgery Center, Past Vice President for Medical Affairs, Carilion Medical Center

Cemetery Board

·       Enid Butler of Williamsburg, Adjunct Professor, VCU Department of Gerontology
·       Armistead W. Dudley of Norfolk, Bureau Manager of Cemeteries, City of Norfolk

Small Business Commission

·       E. Dana Dickens, III, of Suffolk, Realtor, William E. Wood
·       Paul A. Miller of Clifton, CEO, Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies, LLC
·       Atif M. Qarni of Manassas, Mathematics Teacher, Prince William County Public Schools

Small Business Financing Authority

·       Nicholas T. Jordon of Arlington, Owner, Capitol Bridge Holdings
·       Gail L. Letts of Midlothian, Chief Lending Officer, Richmond Region President, Head of Commercial Banking, C&F Bank

State Child Fatality Review Team

·       Jessica T. Pickett of Stafford, EMS Technician, Firefighter/Medic, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Virginia Aviation Board

·       Derek M. “Dak” Hardwick of Alexandria, Director for International Affairs, Aerospace Industries Association
·       Daniel G. “Bud” Oakey of Henrico, Chairman and Managing Director, Advantus Strategies, L.L.C.

Virginia Energy Council

·       The Honorable Maurice Jones of Richmond, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Commonwealth of Virginia
·       The Honorable Molly Ward of Richmond, Secretary of Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
·       Cynthia Adams of Charlottesville, Executive Director, Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP)
·       Kristen Hughes Evans of Richmond, Founder, Sustainable Chesapeake
·       Alleyn Harned of Harrisonburg, Executive Director, Virginia Clean Cities
·       Chelsea Harnish of Richmond, Policy & Campaigns Manager, Virginia Conservation Network
·       Francis Hodsoll of Reston, Founder, Virginia Advanced Energy Industries Coalition
·       Steven Jumper of the District of Columbia, Director, Corporate Public Policy, WGL Holdings, Inc.
·       Irene Kowalczyk of New York City, Director, Global Energy Sourcing & Policy, MeadWestvaco
·       Vishwa Link of Richmond, Partner, McGuire Woods
·       Bernard Lamoureux of Boydton, Data Center Operations Manager, Microsoft
·       David Lawson of Norfolk, Vice President, Coal, Norfolk Southern Corporation
·       Robert Matthias of Virginia Beach, Chair, Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority
·       Ann Blair Miller of Roanoke, Director, Project Management, Roanoke Regional Partnership
·       Laurie Moran of Danville, President, Danville Pittsylvania Chamber of Commerce
·       Dr. Ganapati Myneni of Yorktown, Senior Scientist, Jefferson Labs
·       Dr. Kenneth Newbold of Harrisonburg, Director of Research and Innovation, James Madison University
·       Archie Pugh of Roanoke, Managing Director, Transmission, Appalachian Power Company
·       Donald Ratliff of Big Stone Gap, VP States – Government Affairs, Alpha Natural Resources
·       Jack Reasor of Glen Allen, President & CEO, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC)
·       Sandy Reisky of Charlottesville, Chief Executive Officer, Apex Clean Energy
·       Stephen Walz of Fairfax, Director, Environmental Programs, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
·       Mike Ward of Richmond, Executive Director, Virginia Petroleum Council
·       Dan Weekley of Richmond, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Dominion Resources

Virginia Horse Industry Board

·       David Lamb* of Gordonsville, Owner, Oakland Heights Farm
·       Harold C. McKenzie, III, DVM, MS, DACVIM* of Blacksburg, Associate Professor of Large Animal Medicine, Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

*Indicates reappointment

Friday, June 6, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Leadership and First Meeting of Railroad Safety and Security Task Force

Location in VirginiaLocation in Virginia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Richmond, VA – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran and Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne will co-chair the interagency Railroad Safety and Security Task Force, and that the panel will conduct its first meeting on June 4th, 2014 at 1:00pm at the Virginia State Capitol Building in Senate Room 3.

“This task force is an important step toward ensuring that Virginia is doing everything it can to keep our railroads and the communities around them safe, and that we are prepared to respond to incidents like the derailment and fire in Lynchburg earlier this month,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I have asked Secretaries Moran and Layne to bring our public safety, transportation and environmental protection agencies together to investigate what happened in Lynchburg and make recommendations of how Virginia can work with the federal government to keep our communities and our natural resources as safe as possible.”

The Railroad Safety and Security Task Force will include representatives from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP), the State Corporation Commission (SCC), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Virginia State Police (VSP). The task force will solicit input from industry stakeholders, local governments and members of the public and produce a report of recommended state and federal actions to prevent railroad accidents and ensure that Virginia is prepared as possible to keep communities safe in the case of a future incident.

“Last month’s incident in Lynchburg could have been much worse, but local, state and federal responders worked together to keep the public safe and clean up the wreckage as soon as possible,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran. “I want to thank Governor McAuliffe for forming this task force to ensure that every corner of Virginia is as prepared to act in the case of another accident as Lynchburg was, and that we are working with our federal partners to keep another incident like this from happening again.”

Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne continued, “Virginia’s railways are critical to the commerce and trade of the entire nation, and operating them safely should be priority one for the Commonwealth and our federal and industry partners. This task force is our opportunity to increase interagency cooperation, solicit public input and formulate recommendations to keep our railways and adjacent Virginia communities and resources as safe as possible.”

Governor McAuliffe announced his intention to form the Railroad Safety and Security Task Force earlier this month while touring the site of the April 30th train derailment and fire in downtown Lynchburg, VA
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Leadership and First Meeting of Railroad Safety

Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4014
 (Photo credit: ATOMIC Hot Links)
Governor McAuliffe Announces Leadership and First Meeting of Railroad Safety and Security Task Force

Richmond, VA – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran and Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne will co-chair the interagency Railroad Safety and Security Task Force, and that the panel will conduct its first meeting on June 4th, 2014 at 1:00pm at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center in Chesterfield.

“This task force is an important step toward ensuring that Virginia is doing everything it can to keep our railroads and the communities around them safe, and that we are prepared to respond to incidents like the derailment and fire in Lynchburg earlier this month,” said Governor McAuliffe. “I have asked Secretaries Moran and Layne to bring our public safety, transportation and environmental protection agencies together to investigate what happened in Lynchburg and make recommendations of how Virginia can work with the federal government to keep our communities and our natural resources as safe as possible.”

The Railroad Safety and Security Task Force will include representatives from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), the Virginia Department of Fire Programs (VDFP), the State Corporation Commission (SCC), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Virginia State Police (VSP). The task force will solicit input from industry stakeholders, local governments and members of the public and produce a report of recommended state and federal actions to prevent railroad accidents and ensure that Virginia is prepared as possible to keep communities safe in the case of a future incident.

“Last month’s incident in Lynchburg could have been much worse, but local, state and federal responders worked together to keep the public safe and clean up the wreckage as soon as possible,” said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran. “I want to thank Governor McAuliffe for forming this task force to ensure that every corner of Virginia is as prepared to act in the case of another accident as Lynchburg was, and that we are working with our federal partners to keep another incident like this from happening again.”

Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne continued, “Virginia’s railways are critical to the commerce and trade of the entire nation, and operating them safely should be priority one for the Commonwealth and our federal and industry partners. This task force is our opportunity to increase interagency cooperation, solicit public input and formulate recommendations to keep our railways and adjacent Virginia communities and resources as safe as possible.”

Governor McAuliffe announced his intention to form the Railroad Safety and Security Task Force earlier this month while touring the site of the April 30th train derailment and fire in downtown Lynchburg, VA
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