Kellyanne Conway, Senator Menendez, Congresswomen Dingell and Kuster
Headline a Discussion on the Role of Prevention Education
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EVERFI,
the leading social impact education innovator, is hosting the members of
its Prescription
Drug Safety Network at the second annual Prescription
Drug Safety Network Summit today at The Watergate Hotel. The Summit
is a gathering of experts, policymakers, and forward-thinking
organizations that examine strategies for combating the U.S. opioid
crisis and discuss how prevention education is playing a powerful role
in curbing prescription drug misuse nationwide.
As the leading provider of education for the real world, EVERFI
established the Prescription Drug Safety Network to bring investment,
human capital, best practices, and prescription drug abuse prevention
technology to schools across the nation to combat the opioid and
prescription drug abuse crisis. A national coalition of more than 20
healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors,
pharmacies, insurers, foundations, nonprofits, and state leaders, the
Network is committed to empowering Americans with the knowledge and
skills to make safe and healthy decisions about prescription medications.
“Today, two
million Americans suffer from an opioid use disorder and the
National Institute of Health’s Institute
on Drug Abuse reports that nonmedical use of prescription drugs is
highest among young adults aged 18 to 25,” said Jon Chapman, President
and Co-Founder, EVERFI. “The mission of the PDSN is to raise awareness
of this problem at a national level and bring an evidence-based
curriculum to high schools, colleges, and universities nationwide. We
are thankful for the dedication of our Network partners and look forward
to working together in addressing this problem together.”
Summit attendees will have the chance to hear from several members of
Congress as well as Network partners. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez
will provide keynote remarks on the policy landscape surrounding opioid
abuse prevention, while Congresswoman Annie Kuster, founder and co-chair
of the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, will outline her efforts in the
House to prioritize opioid funding in the Bipartisan Budget.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell will discuss the need for removing the
stigma around addiction and mental health disorders while supporting
patients with legitimate pain needs through smart science and a
regulatory environment that promotes pain management alternatives. The
event will conclude with a fireside chat between Kellyanne Conway,
Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor to the President of the
United States and Chapman.
Network partners Walmart, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and
UnityPoint Health will each deliver a “TED Talk” style presentation
outlining their organization’s comprehensive approach to tackling the
opioid crisis. Strategies to be discussed include limiting the length of
acute opioid prescriptions, supporting businesses in providing solutions
to their employees and communities, creating localized initiatives, and
collaborating with legislators to broaden impact and awareness.
“Through the support of our Network partners, more than 2,700 high
schools and 75 institutions of higher education, reaching more than
265,000 students, have adopted EVERFI’s Prescription Drug Safety
curriculum since Fall 2017,” said Chapman. “The curriculum uses an
evidence-based, public health approach to empower high school and
college students with the skills and knowledge they need to make safe
and healthy decisions about prescription drugs.”
Prevention education has been shown to drive positive behavior change,
and some findings to be released at PDSN Summit include:
-
31% increase in students’ ability to support someone who may be
abusing prescription drugs -
50% increase in the proportion of students who reported that they can
identify the signs of prescription drug misuse and abuse -
60% increase in the proportion of students who say they definitely
will be disposing of and storing medication appropriately.
For additional information on the Prescription Drug Safety Network
please visit https://everfi.com/networks/prescription-drug-safety-network/.
ABOUT EVERFI
EVERFI is the leading education technology innovator that provides
learners of all ages education for the real world through scalable
digital learning platforms. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model and has certified over
25 million learners with more than 3,500 partners across 50 states,
Canada and Puerto Rico. EVERFI is an industry convener that builds
Networks that tackle the toughest social issues. These Networks include
the Prescription Drug Safety Network, Campus Prevention Network, and the
Financial Capability Network. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture
capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff
Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams,
Advance Publications, Rethink Education and Rethink Impact. To learn
more about EVERFI visit everfi.com
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@EVERFI.
Contacts
Jennifer Edgerly
Senior Director, Communications
202-486-0518
jedgerly@everfi.com