ARC Partners with Operation UNITE on 2016 National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit March 2016

Opioid abuse is ravaging communities across the Appalachian Region. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio have some of the country’s highest rates of opioid drug-related deaths. This is one reason ARC is a proud co-sponsor of the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit for the fifth year. The summit, to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, March 28–31, is the largest national collaboration of clinicians, government and business leaders, treatment professionals, advocates, and others to address the nation’s growing prescription drug abuse and heroin epidemic.

U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers (left) and CDC Director Tom Frieden tell their story about their commitment to opioid drug abuse prevention at the 2015 Rx Summit. (Photo courtesy of Rx Summit)

President Barack Obama will speak at the summit on Tuesday, March 29, during a General Session Town Hall. The summit agenda also includes 60 intensive learning sessions on March 29–30 and features keynotes by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, CDC Director Tom Frieden, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow.

At the summit, ARC, in partnership with CDC and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), will invite participants to use social media to tell their stories about the impact opioid and heroin abuse has had on their lives. ARC, CDC, and ORAU will also launch a technical assistance pilot for community-based organizations to develop social media outreach strategies to raise awareness of, and combat, opioid abuse.

More information on the 2016 Rx Summit is available at nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org. Follow summit news and updates on Twitter at #RXSummit.