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Informed Families Catalyst

Prevention Awareness Key in Fight Against Opioids

Posted by Informed Families on April 26, 2019 at 9:15 AM

panel photo

Informed Families President & CEO Peggy Sapp was invited to participate in a round table discussion about the opioid epidemic on Saturday, April 20. Organized by Congresswoman Donna Shalala, the panel was moderated by Rodrigo Lozano, LCSW, from the National Association of Social Workers and included John W. Newcomer, M.D., president and CEO of South Florida Behavioral Health Network in Miami, FL, Judge Victoria Sigler and Howard Rosen, Esq., head of narcotics in the State Attorney’s Office.

In Florida, there were 1,272 deaths involving prescription opioids in 2017, an increase from 889 in 2014 (NIDA, 2019). The discussion focused on the impact of opioid abuse in Miami-Dade and treatment and policy initiatives to address the issue. The panelists agreed that prevention education remains an important tool in dealing with opioid addiction, especially among youth.

“We can’t solve the drug problem overnight, but we need to engage with others about it,” Sapp said. “Informed Families prevention messages are simple, direct and easy to follow.”

In addition to securing and taking regular inventory of my medication and safely disposing of unused/expired medication, Sapp encourages others to spread prevention awareness by:

  • Posting Lock Your Meds flyers in you work place
  •  Asking your employer to include information about Lock Your Meds on your company intranet, employee newsletter or pay stub
  • Sharing information about Lock Your Meds on your social media pages
  • Becoming an Informed Families Ambassador

Contact Informed Families for the tools and resources needed to begin educating your larger community about drug prevention.

Topics: lock your meds, prescription drugs, overdose, Peggy Sapp, drug prevention, drug use, opioids

About Us

We teach people how to say no to drugs and how to make healthy choices. To reduce the demand for drugs, Informed Families has focused its efforts on educating and mobilizing the community, parents and young people in order to change attitudes. In this way we counteract the pressures in society that condone and promote drug and alcohol use and abuse. The organization educates thousands of families annually about how to stay drug and alcohol free through networking and a variety of programs and services .

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