FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2021

Contact: Natalie Golub, 973-382-4560, natalie@drugfreenj.org

PDFNJ Opioid Education Reaches 1,000^th Medical Professional

MILLBURN, N.J. — The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s effort to educate on the risks of opioids and safe and responsible prescribing has now reached 1,000 professionals in the health care field and has potentially benefitted millions of New Jersey residents.

Yvonne Olthuis, a nurse from Cape May Courthouse, became the 1,000^th medical professional over the past two years to take the pre-recorded webinar, “Do No Harm: Exploring Strategies for Safer Prescribing of Opioids,” on May 19. She will receive a gift card to commemorate the milestone.

“Educating medical professionals on the risks and proper ways to treat pain and prescribe opioids is crucial to combatting the opioid epidemic our state and country are facing,” PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente said. “Medical professionals in New Jersey are receiving better education on prescribing practices through this webinar, and that knowledge has helped them to make the best decisions for their patients. It is encouraging to see that 1,000 New Jersey heal care professionals have now taken this course.”

In June 2019, PDFNJ and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ) launched the webinar, which has provided information vital to responsible prescribing practices that keep patients safe from opioid misuse and addiction. The knowledge from the course has benefitted an estimated 2.6 million patients. The initiative is currently supported by the Opioid Education Foundation of America.

The webinar highlights the roots of the opioid crisis and the current status of the issue from medical, legal and law enforcement perspectives.  The course is designed to fulfill the New Jersey one-hour continuing education requirement concerning prescription opioids. It is specifically tailored for healthcare professionals including doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathic medicine, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, residents, fellows and medical students. The accredited curriculum is accessible through the website, www.KnockOutOpioidAbuse.DrugFreeNJ.org/NJSafeRx.

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Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey: Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication.  To date, more than $100 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 174 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.