LCHM Winter18 - 16

FEATURE

If there are best-practice prevention efforts to build coping
skills and resilience in children, the Alliance is engaging. We are
continuing to educate patients, parents and people of all ages on
the dangers of opioid misuse and have designed materials to use in
your community projects. These outstanding materials, created in
conjunction with the Missouri State University Master of Public
Health Program with the assistance of
our partners in the AMA, can be ordered
for distribution in your communities
on the AMA Alliance website. (http://
www.amaalliance.org/advocacy-opioid)
In supply reduction efforts, the Alliance is promoting safe disposal of
medications and drug take-back initiatives, and educating the public on the
importance of cleaning out medicine
cabinets. We know that roughly 80%
of individuals who end up addicted
to opiates and heroin started with a
prescription pain pill, whether legitimate
or diverted. It is for this reason that we
are partnering with the AMA in an effort
to educate patients about alternatives
to addictive medications. We're also
advocating for legislation to improve
outcomes for individuals living in the
cycle of addiction.

mobilize our members in ways that no other group can, to provide
support and resources to our communities.
Educational materials designed specifically by the AMA Alliance are
available for community projects both large and small. These postcards,
brochures and DVDs can be co-branded. They're available on the AMA
Alliance website (http://www.amaalliance.
org/advocacy-opioid) along with numerous
other resources including a free downloadable
white paper.

We are continuing
to educate
patients, parents
and people OF
all ages on THE
dangers OF opioid
misuse and
have designed
materials to
use in your
community
projects.

We know that addiction is a brain
disease with many causes. Oftentimes,
there is a genetic predisposition, co-occurring mental illness or a legitimate pain
issue which leads to the addiction. Opioids were once thought to be
non-addictive if used to treat legitimate pain, which we know now is
not true. Opioids were aggressively marketed as new "miracle drugs,"
promising to remove all discomfort or pain. We now know that
taking opioids for as few as three to five days increases the chance
of addiction exponentially.

16 Lehigh County Health & Medicine | WINTER 2018

Take advantage of the materials and
toolkits which the AMA Alliance provides
and share them in your community.
Additional innovative tools are being
developed for our members to share. Get
creative and leverage your Alliance efforts
by partnering with a local school, PTA,
hospital or business to raise awareness and
distribute educational materials.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society Alliance has purchased a large quantity of the
opioid materials developed by the AMA
Alliance for distribution in Pennsylvania.
Alliance members from all over PA have already begun to distribute
the materials to community organizations, schools, health care groups
and more. If your group would like to obtain some of these materials,
contact the PAMED Alliance office at Alliance@pamedsoc.org.

STOP LIVING WITH

Until recently, pain was viewed as a fifth vital sign. Physicians
were encouraged to treat pain as aggressively as they would any
other medical condition or symptom. In fact, patient satisfaction
surveys still include questions regarding pain management, tying
patient satisfaction about the relief of discomfort and pain to
physician payment. There is so much wrong with this practice.
Through education, we are changing attitudes about addiction
and stigma in positive ways. This is an important step as we work
with and within our communities to combat this scourge. As
community leaders and volunteers, our networks are connected
in our neighborhoods, with schools and with the health care
system, stretching far and wide across the U.S., allowing us to

Utilizing best-practices and demanding
change in your state legislatures and communities makes a huge difference. Local and state
Alliances are uniquely suited to advocate for
things like improving prevention initiatives,
insurance parity, expanding treatment or use
of Narcan in your county and more.

FOOT PAIN
610.434.7000 | www.affc.com

ALLENTOWN
2414 Walbert Ave.

ALLENTOWN EAST
2100 Hanover Ave.

WALNUTPORT
Rt. 145 & Spruce St.

COOPERSBURG
101 S. Main St.

http://www.amaalliance http://http:// http://www.amaalliance.org/advocacy-opioid http://www.affc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of LCHM Winter18