In an attempt to recognize prescription opioid abusers who have been working to change their lives for the better, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week launched a new social media initiative welcoming the stories of those who have been affected by prescription painkiller addiction.
The CDC launched its campaign, titled "When the Prescription Becomes the Problem," this week at the fourth annual National RX Drug Abuse Summit. The social media activity, designed to raise awareness of prescription painkiller abuse and overdose, will run through May 15.
"Prescription drug overdose devastates individuals, families and communities," said Erin Connelly, associate director for Communication at the CDC's Injury Center. "We'd like to get everyone talking and thinking about the risks involved with opioid painkillers."
"[The] CDC's approach to prescription drug overdose remains on primary prevention of opioid addiction and overdose — that is, addressing the problematic opioid prescribing that created and continues the fuel the epidemic," Connelly said.
"We particularly emphasize the role of states and work to equip states with the resources they need to advanced comprehensive, data-driven prevention," she said. "States drive prevention — they regulate the health professions, run prescription drug monitoring programs, administer large public insurance programs like Medicaid, and have the public health surveillance capacity to track the behavior of the epidemic."
According to the CDC, there were 16,235 deaths involving prescription opioids in 2013, an increase of 1% from 2012.
Congressman Hal Rogers — who is the co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse — became involved in the CDC's social media campaign after being asked by Dr. Tom Frieden, the CDC's director. Rogers believes the CDC is doing "great work in the field of opioid abuse."
"The Fiscal Year 2015 Omnibus appropriations bill provided $20 million for CDC to expand its Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States program, which will provide 17 states with resources to enhance prescription drug monitoring programs and implement evidence-based and innovative prevention programs," said Rogers, who represents Kentucky's fifth congressional district. "[The] CDC is also uniquely positioned to implement strong surveillance to track the progress in reducing addiction and abuse."
Even though the program now is limited to only small portion of the country, the president's proposed budget for fiscal year 2016 requests that the CDC expands the Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention for States program to all 50 states.
Congressman Rogers launched Operation Unite in 2003 after a local newspaper in eastern Kentucky dubbed his home district as the painkiller capital of the United States. "Overdose rates were skyrocketing in our region, which was highlighted by the news article," he said.
The CDC asks participants to submit a six-word story or message tagged #RxProblem on Twitter. Here's what you can find.
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