Partnership for Drug-Free Kids Announces National Launch of "Search and Rescue" Opioid Prescriber Education Campaign

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Partnership for Drug-Free Kids today announced the national launch of "Search and Rescue," a prescriber education campaign that gives healthcare providers the resources they need to prescribe opioids responsibly and prevent the misuse and abuse of medicine in their practices.

Abuse of prescription pain relievers has played a key role in today's opioid epidemic. The goal of the Partnership's "Search and Rescue" campaign, developed with support from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is to equip prescribers to be pro-active in identifying and helping patients at risk for prescription drug abuse. More attention has been brought to this critical health issue with the Surgeon General's recent letter to more than 2 million healthcare providers, urging them to help turn the tide of opioid abuse problems facing the nation.

"The FDA is proud to support this campaign to educate and inform providers about the risks of addiction and the misuse and abuse of opioids in their efforts to treat their patients' pain responsibly and prevent the misuse and abuse of these drugs," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). "Educating the healthcare community on appropriate prescribing of prescription opioid medications is a cornerstone of the FDA's Opioid Action Plan, and continues to be a top priority for the agency, as well as for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and across the federal government. The "Search and Rescue" campaign connects prescribers to training, information and resources that can help, and we encourage them to share this educational content with their peers as we all continue to work to change the culture of inappropriate opioid prescribing in this country."

At searchandrescueusa.org, prescribers can view brief educational videos and connect with a range of vital resources, including relevant Continuing Medical Education courses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines on prescribing opioid medication for chronic pain, and their state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), which provides information on patients' recent prescription history and helps prevent "doctor shopping."

The "Search and Rescue" campaign, developed by the Partnership in collaboration with the FDA and health marketing agency Razorfish Health (part of the Publicis Health network), makes innovative use of social media, optimized search and earned media to reach family physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners, driving them to the website to learn more.

"Today's opioid epidemic has reached alarming and tragic proportions, with 78 opioid overdose deaths occurring daily in the United States. Addressing this dire national problem requires a multi-pronged approach, involving parents, educators, community leaders, treatment professionals and healthcare providers," said Partnership President and CEO Marcia Lee Taylor. "The Partnership is proud to apply its communications expertise to the challenge of reaching and helping educate prescribers, who can and must be a huge part of the solution." 

As part of the strategy to reach as many U.S. prescribers as possible, the Partnership is also working closely with national organizations, including the American Medical Association Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association (ADA), and others to promote "Search and Rescue" to their members.

According to the CDC, most drug overdose deaths (more than 6 out of 10) involve opioid use, and overdoses from prescription opioid pain relievers are a driving factor behind the 17-year increase in opioid overdose deaths. Sales of prescription opioids – like oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone – have quadrupled since 1999, and so have overdose deaths involving prescription opioids.

To help address this crisis, beginning in 2012, the FDA has provided grant funding and other support to the Partnership to develop and deploy the "Search and Rescue" prescriber education campaign. 

Following an initial year of formative research, the campaign was piloted in Maryland and Rhode Island in 2014, and then expanded to six states in 2015. 

To learn more about the nation's opioid epidemic, visit http://www.drugfree.org/heroin.

About the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids is committed to helping families struggling with their son or daughter's substance use. We empower families with information, support and guidance to get the help their loved one needs and deserves. On our website, drugfree.org, and through our toll-free helpline (1-855-DRUGFREE), we provide families with direct support and guidance to help them address teen substance use. Finally, we build healthy communities, advocating for greater understanding and more effective programs to treat the disease of addiction. As a national nonprofit, we depend on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and the public sector and are thankful to SAG-AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity. We are proud to receive a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities, as well as a National Accredited Charity Seal from The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.

About the Search and Rescue Campaign
The Search and Rescue campaign is supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, under grant number 5U18FD004593-04. The content is solely the responsibility of the Partnership and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

SOURCE Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.drugfree.org/