Emag.co.uk Entertainment News Leader
ATLANTA, May 6, 2014 /Emag.co.uk/ — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2012, “Overdose deaths involving prescription opioid analgesics, which are medications used to treat pain, have increased to almost 17,000 deaths a year in the United States.” That is the equivalent of a large jumbo jet full of people disappearing every week for one year! The Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative of The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, with guidance and funding provided by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), has just launched its 2014 Media Awareness Campaign “Prescription Drug Abuse – It’s Not What the Doctor Ordered.” The Campaign focuses primarily on educating adults and youth about how to prevent prescription drug (Rx) abuse, including how to safely store and securely dispose of prescription and over the counter drugs.
The Campaign features its own website, http://www.StopRxAbuseInGA.org which includes links to downloadable resources such as a General Audience PowerPoint presentation, “PACT360” a power-packed parent toolkit from the partnership at Drugfree.org, as well as other modules for youth and senior citizens. Other components of the campaign include nearly 5,000 radio public service announcements (PSAs) that have aired or will air during morning and evening drive times in late April and May.
The PSAs will be broadcast on the Georgia News Network which has 173 radio station affiliates that touch all of Georgia’s 159 counties. The Awareness Campaign also includes a Facebook ad component which connects with the social media user. The ads take the visitor to the website mentioned above.
The Council on Alcohol and Drugs is working with a wide range of organizations that support the Awareness Campaign including the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation, the Georgia Family Connection Partnership, the Georgia Sheriffs Association, various state and federal law enforcement agencies, public and private schools, civic groups, and social organizations.
For additional information or questions concerning the Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Awareness Campaign, please contact John Bringuel, MA, ICPS, at (404) 223-2484 or email Mr. Bringuel at jbringuel@livedrugfree.org.
SOURCE The Council on Alcohol and Drugs
