Opioid Intervention and Dependence Prevention
October 15, 2014
There is considerable national attention to the misuse of pain medicines in the US. The non-medical use of opioid analgesics is rising in the United States at an alarming rate. In 2008, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 4.7 million Americans over the age of 12 acknowledged non-medical use of painkillers. The increase in new users of painkillers between 1998 and 2008 in the U.S. — 41% — is greater than any other abused drug, including marijuana, cocaine and heroin. According to a 2014 CDC report, 46 individuals die every day in the U.S. from a prescription painkiller overdose. The report notes that health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills. So far, most attention on this epidemic has focused on the criminal aspects and medical side of care with little attention to the important and intimate role and influence of behavioral health factors in the path of dependency, as well as the path to wellness and freedom from dependency.
Addiction and mental health care providers have unique skills bring to the national dialogue on pain management and, at times, subsequent and unfortunate opioid dependency. Learn the underpinnings of the pain experience, risk factors, and key takeaways related to the use of pharmacists, and develop advocacy energy about the expertise of addiction and mental health care experts as central contributors to addressing this national crisis.
Presenters: Jack M. Gorman, MD,CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, Franklin Behavioral Healthcare Consultants, Clinical Consultant, Care Management Technologies; Carol Clayton, PhD, CEO, Care Management Technologies; George Oestreich, PharmD, MPA, Principal, G.L.O. and Associates Clinical Consultant, Care Management Technologies; Rachelle Glavin, Director of Clinical Operations, MO Coalition of Community Behavioral Health Care
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Understanding Harm Reduction: Part 3 – Harm Reduction Advocates Face Hurdles and Hope
April 07, 2021
One section tucked in the American Rescue Plan – President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package that he signed into law on March 11 – gave harm reduction organizations more optimism than they’ve had in years that opportunities would replace obstacles.