Press Releases
WHAT
Press Conference announcing :
- Georgia to take leading role in national discussion on prescription drug abuse epidemic by hosting the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in April 2014.
- A Celebrity Keynote Presenter for this year's Summit.
WHEN
11:30 am on Thursday, January 23, 2014
WHERE
North Wing of the Georgia State Capitol Building, 206 Washington St SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30334
WHO
- Governor Nathan Deal, State of Georgia
- Hon. Harold "Hal" Rogers, U.S. Representative, Kentucky 5th District, Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations; Founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse
- Dr. Tom Frieden, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Earl Gohl, Federal Co-Chair, Appalachian Regional Commission
-
Attorney General Sam Olens, State of Georgia
- Commissioner Frank Berry, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
LIVE STREAM
Media unable to attend the press conference in person may watch the event live on Governor Deal's website: http://gov.georgia.gov/tv
ABOUT
The third annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit - the largest national collaboration of professionals on this issue - will be held April 22-24, 2014, at the Atlanta, Marriott Marquis. Both previous Summits were held in Orlando, Florida.
Nearly 900 people from 49 states and two other countries participated in the 2013 Summit. That Summit brought together the nation's top legislators, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, treatment providers, law enforcement personnel, insurance payers and researchers to share the latest findings and strategies to make an impact in the battle against the prescription drug abuse and diversion epidemic.
Recurring themes highlighted by presenters at the Summit included: the need to provide better education about drug abuse and diversion, especially for prescribers; greater use and seamless integration of state Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs; identifying and sharing best-practice solutions; openly admitting problems to facilitate provision of effective treatment and recovery programs; and adequately treating pain without over-prescribing narcotics that lack abuse-deterrent formulations.
ON-SITE MEDIA CONTACT
Danielle Smoot, Communications Director, Congressman Hal Rogers, 606-854-6867.#####