Ohio listed as top state in monitoring prescription drugs


May 30, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

Ohio listed as top state in monitoring prescription drugs

COLUMBUS

The American Medical Association has listed Ohio as the top state when it comes to monitoring prescription drugs.

The AMA says in a recent fact sheet that Ohio processed more than 24 million queries from doctors and other health professionals through the Board of Pharmacy’s Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System.

The state created the system to track the dispensing of controlled substances and monitor suspected abuse. OARRS has been a key tool in battling the state’s deadly addictions epidemic.

Ohio’s system allows pharmacists to check prescribing histories in Ohio and border states that have similar systems, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia.

In 2015, Gov. John Kasich ordered that the system be integrated directly into electronic medical records and pharmacy dispensing systems, allowing instant access for prescribers and pharmacists.

Man held in stabbing

CINCINNATI

Bond has been set at $2 million for a 22-year-old man suspected of fatally stabbing his grandmother in Cincinnati over the weekend.

Police say 22-year-old Isaiah Zellers was arrested without incident at his grandmother’s home after they were called about the stabbing Saturday evening. Cincinnati police say 71-year-old Chesney Shaw died at the home.

Zellers was being held on a murder charge. Defense attorney Hugh McCloskey Jr. said Monday that he had met with Zellers only briefly and had no immediate comment on his behalf.

Police haven’t released information about a potential motive for the stabbing.

Hit-and-run kills 2 adults in Cleveland; suspect in custody

CLEVELAND

Police say two pedestrians were killed in a hit-and-run crash in Cleveland, and a suspect is in custody.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office says a 63-year-old Maple Heights man and a 55-year-old Cleveland woman were struck by a sport utility vehicle early Monday while crossing a street southeast of downtown.

WJW-TV reports the two were leaving a club when they were hit.

Police say the driver didn’t stop, but they later arrested a suspect, whose identity wasn’t immediately released.

Associated Press