NEA Health Information Network and Purdue Pharma L.P. Partner to Help Kids be Safe

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN) is partnering with Purdue Pharma L.P. to create new educational resources for middle school teachers focusing on the critical health problem of prescription drug abuse and misuse. The materials are currently in production, and will be released in July 2012 at the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C. They will be available in hard copy and online.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 20% of high school students have taken prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription at least once in their lives. Clearly, young people are not learning the skills of proper medication use and are putting themselves at risk of serious harm," said Jerald Newberry, Executive Director, NEA Health Information Network. "These materials will help middle school teachers build the knowledge and skills of students so they can make the right choices and use these important medications properly throughout their lives."

Aligned to the National Health Education Standards, as well as to the Common Core Standards, the materials are being designed to be integrated into existing middle school classes in health, science, or related subjects. The materials will address both content knowledge and the skills needed for making proper choices about the use of prescription drugs.

"We are delighted to partner with the NEA to help provide teachers with a curriculum that will help them teach young people about the dangers of misusing and abusing medications," said Pamela Bennett, RN, BSN, Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue. "This program is part of a larger effort by Purdue to work with educators, the medical community and law enforcement to help combat the abuse and diversion of medications."

About the National Education Association Health Information Network

As the non-profit health and safety arm of the NEA, the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) provides health and safety information to the 3.2 million educational employees served by NEA and their 43 million students. NEA HIN distributes information nationally through NEA's 51 state/territory affiliates as well as through its almost 15,000 local education associations. For more information, please visit www.neahin.org.

About Purdue Pharma L.P.

Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately held pharmaceutical company, founded by physicians, that is engaged in the research, development, production, and distribution of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and healthcare products. The company is known for its pioneering research on pain, a principal cause of human suffering. Purdue Pharma L.P. has developed http://www.RxSafetyMatters.org to provide information and resources to help deter medication misuse and abuse.

SOURCE NEA Health Information Network