Opioids: Know the Risks (#KnowTheRX) campaign garners expansive coverage

Officials recently kicked off an expansive awareness campaign on the risks of prescription opioid abuse -- a critical component in the fight against a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives in Cuyahoga County.

The Opioids: Know the Risks (#KnowTheRX) campaign is a collaborative effort among local agencies and organizations, production companies, hospitals – including St. Vincent Charity Medical Center – and media outlets. The campaign will include news coverage, public service announcements, commercials, print advertisements and social media outreach on the risks associated with prescription opioids.

As part of ongoing work on this issue, St. Vincent Charity’s Associate Medical Director of Rosary Hall, Ted Parran Jr. MD, recently presented “Opiates and the Addicted Brain”:

The Opioids: Know the Risks (#KnowTheRX) campaign has garnered expansive coverage from:

Cleveland.com: http://www.cleveland.com/knowtherx/

WKYC: http://www.wkyc.com/local/know-the-rx 

People can also follow the campaign via social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnowTheRx

Twitter: https://twitter.com/knowtherx

The Opioids: Know the Risks (#KnowTheRX) campaign is organized by the Cuyahoga County Opioid Marketing Task Force. The campaign is intended to combat a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that is becoming deadlier each year. Cuyahoga County reported a record 610 overdose deaths in 2016, and is on pace to report nearly 850 in 2017.