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Safe Prescribing, Opioid Alternatives, & Education
Last week Meet the Press had a segment about the country’s fentanyl crisis. Last year over 100,000 American families lost a loved one to this tragic epidemic.
One of the featured guests on Meet the Press was Dr. Andrew Kolodny, a founder of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, and the 2018 recipient of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s Angel Of Hope Award. The Partnership recognized Dr. Kolodny for his unwavering support of our opioid prescriber education efforts. He has also been a crucial advisor to our chair, Elaine Pozycki. It is Elaine's goal that all prescribers have a conversation with a patient (or a minor patient's parent or guardian) warning them of the addictive potential of prescribed opioids and discussing opioid alternatives where possible.
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Secure Your Medicine
Several weeks ago we lost our wonderful dog Rufus after 11 years as a cherished member of our family. It was disturbing to read this article about a dog that almost senselessly died because of exposure to heroin.
The Amercian Medicine Chest Challenge outlines 5 steps to help protect families, including family pets, from the dangers of opioids.
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Racial Inequality in Receipt of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported on racial disparities in addiction treatment, including the new finding that White patients received medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) up to 80% more frequently than Black patients and up to 25% more frequently than Hispanic patients, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dartmouth College.
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Opioid Withdrawal: What We Need to Know
Patient notification of the risks of opioids has been a cornerstone of the PDFNJ message for the past decade - through public information campaigns and legislation that we have authored and advocated for that can help save lives. It is viral that patients and parents of patients are informed of risks for dependency and addiction from prescribed opioids. Patients need to be told about the signs and symptoms of dependency and addiction as well.
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Communication is Key in Protecting Our Children
We continue to learn more and shine light on the link between screen time, mental health and substance use.
Parents and caregivers - we must communicate the risks to our children and help them make healthy and safe decisions.
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New Opioid Overdose Reversal Nasal Spray
The FDA recently approved Opvee, a new opioid overdose reversal nasal spray that is similar to Narcan but contains nalmefene, the first reversal drug to do so. Currently, Opvee is available by prescription.
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Ray Lucas’s Lifesaving Message to Student Athletes
Throughout the past 18 months PDFNJ has been collaborating with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) to educate youth athletes about the risks of prescription opioids and how to take care of themselves physically and mentally.
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Happy Memorial Day
As we are all getting ready to celebrate Memorial Day this upcoming weekend, I wanted to take a moment to recognize the sacrifice that our brave servicemen and women have made and remember the heroes who have courageously lost their lives to keep our country safe.
I hope you all get to spend some time with family and friends and enjoy the long weekend. -
We Must Continue to Protect Our Children's Mental and Physical Health
The link between screen time and mental health is clear. Earlier this year, U.
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Shining A Light on the Dangers of Fentanyl
Yesterday was National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids and the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, and its direct link to prescription opioids.