FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 11, 2018

Contact: Matt Birchenough, Media Coordinator, 201-916-1032, media@drugfreenj.org

Do No Harm Symposium to Be Highlighted at International Conference on Opioids

BOSTON – The Do No Harm Symposium Series, a prescriber education program organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – New Jersey Division, is being showcased among the programs showcased at the 2018 International Conference on Opioids that began Sunday and will run through Tuesday at Harvard Medical School.

PDFNJ and the DEA – New Jersey Division are presenting a poster at the conference on the Do No Harm Symposiums, which have been held to inform medical professionals throughout the state about safer prescribing practices.

“The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the Do No Harm Symposium Series along with the Drug Enforcement Administration – New Jersey Division at the International Conference on Opioids,” said PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente. “This program has helped to educate the medical community on the steps it can take to help stem the opioid epidemic gripping New Jersey and the nation.”

“The Do No Harm Symposium Series educated more than 3,000 members of the medical and dental community,” said Valerie A. Nickerson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division. “We provided them with information showing how they can play a role in combating this current opioid epidemic. The DEA looks forward to continuing our great working relationship with The Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey.”

Since it launched in 2013, the Do No Harm Symposium Series has provided valuable information to doctors, dentists and other medical providers to help them better understand the link between opioid prescription drug misuse and heroin use and to inform them on safer prescribing practices to prevent opioid misuse. A vast majority of prescribers who have attended these symposiums said the information they learned positively impacted their prescribing practices.

The 2018 International Conference on Opioids features experts on opioid analgesics exploring the challenges of using opioids to treat pain. The experts present the latest research, real-world knowledge and practical solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes and reducing risk to both patients and medical practices.

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Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 171 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.