AAOA Marks Three Years of Collaborative Efforts to Increase Rx Opioid Safety Awareness 

ARLINGTON, Va., February 25, 2021 – February marks Allied Against Opioid Abuse’s (AAOA) third year of bringing together healthcare stakeholders to increase awareness about prescription opioid safety.

“AAOA’s mission of educating individuals on the safe use, storage and disposal of prescription opioids remains vitally important, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates mental health and addiction issues,” said John Parker, Senior Vice President of Communications for the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, the founding member of AAOA. “Together with our 20 national partners, AAOA is proud to play a role in making sure patients, providers and others understand the rights, risks and responsibilities associated with prescription opioids.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December that more than 81,000 overdose deaths were reported from June 2019 to May 2020. The highest number of overdose deaths was driven by synthetic opioids within a 12-month period, suggesting “an acceleration of overdose deaths during the pandemic.” Since launching in 2018, AAOA and its partners have developed more than 50 educational resources to help prevent the misuse and abuse of opioids. Most recently, AAOA and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) developed a bilingual toolkit to help educate the Hispanic community about prescription opioid safety and pain management.

Additional toolkits and initiatives include:

• AAOA-HealthyWomen Toolkit, developed to educate women in their role as consumers and caregivers about prescription opioid abuse.
• AAOA-NCL Consumer Toolkit, created alongside the National Consumers League, to reinforce the need for patients, caregivers, parents and others to understand their rights, risks and responsibilities associated with prescription opioids.
• AAOA Pharmacy Toolkit, created in partnership with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and the National Community Pharmacists Association, to help pharmacists engage in conversations with their patients and healthcare provider colleagues about prescription opioids.
• Pledge to Pause, created with the PA (Physician Assistant) Foundation, to remind providers and PA students nationwide of the importance in engaging with and educating their patients when an opioid is prescribed to them.

For more information about AAOA’s resources, visit our online resource library.

For press inquiries, contact press@againstopioidabuse.org.

About Allied Against Opioid Abuse
Allied Against Opioid Abuse is a national education and awareness initiative to help prevent abuse and misuse of prescription opioids. Founded by the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, the initiative is a collaborative effort with diverse partners across the pharmaceutical supply chain, as well as organizations that are experts in public health and healthcare, including ADvancing States, Alliance for Aging Research, American Pharmacists Association, American Physical Therapy Association, BeMedWise, Caregiver Action Network, Gerontological Society of America, Healthcare Leadership Council, HealthyWomen, Men’s Health Network, Mental Health America, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration, National Community Pharmacists Association, National Consumers League, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Transitions of Care Coalition, Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, and the PA Foundation. Our goal is to contribute to solving the opioid crisis in a meaningful way by educating patients about their rights, risks and responsibilities. To learn more, visit www.AgainstOpioidAbuse.org or follow us on Twitter: @AAOA_Tweets.

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