February 13, 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. — This month marks one year since the launch of Allied Against Opioid Abuse (AAOA), a national initiative to help address the nation’s prescription opioid abuse epidemic through education and awareness. In its first year, AAOA built a network of national and local partnerships, expanding its membership to include 16 national partners and more than 50 state and local partners.
“AAOA has brought together leading voices from across healthcare to raise awareness and collaborate on education efforts to combat prescription opioid misuse and abuse,” said John M. Gray, President and CEO of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, the founding member of AAOA. “In its inaugural year, AAOA has harnessed the unique attributes of its partners and collective strength of the coalition to raise awareness of prescription opioid safe use, storage and disposal. Together we are helping patients, caregivers, providers, pharmacists and consumers understand and communicate about the rights, risks and responsibilities associated with prescription opioids.”
Working with its national, state and local partners, AAOA has fostered communication with business, public health, education and law enforcement leaders. Highlights from AAOA’s first year include:
“In our second year, AAOA has the opportunity to expand our reach by building on our existing work with partners to develop tailored educational materials,” continued Gray. “This will ensure more patients, prescribers, pharmacists and consumers have the information they need to prevent prescription opioid misuse and abuse.”
AAOA’s goal is to contribute to solving the opioid crisis in a meaningful way by serving as a centralized information resource, providing education and raising awareness. Additional materials are available at www.AgainstOpioidAbuse.org/Act.
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 Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities, 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.
The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) represents primary pharmaceutical distributors — the vital link between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and others nationwide. Since 1876, HDA has helped members navigate regulations and innovations to get the right medicines to the right patients at the right time, safely and efficiently. The HDA Research Foundation, HDA’s non-profit charitable foundation, serves the healthcare industry by providing research and education focused on priority healthcare supply chain issues.