New digital course takes a population-level approach to curbing prescription drug abuse
WASHINGTON DC – On Thursday, November 16, 2017, the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) will announce a new nationwide educational initiative to empower college students with the skills to make safe and healthy decisions about prescription medications and understand the dangers of misusing these drugs.
Frostburg State University President Ronald Nowaczyk and AAM executives will be joined by students and leaders from local colleges and universities for a roundtable discussion. The discussion will focus on effective policy surrounding prevention initiatives on campuses, preliminary data from the digital Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention course administered to almost 800 students this fall at FSU, and promising practices for prevention strategies on college campuses.
AAM has partnered with education technology leader EVERFI, Inc. to provide a new digital curriculum to colleges and universities across the U.S. The course uses an evidence-based, public health approach to empower students with skills to help protect themselves and others from abuse and misuse. Through interactive scenarios and self-guided activities, students learn the facts about prescription drugs, how to properly use and dispose of them and how to step in when faced with a situation involving misuse.
Data from more than 33,000 students who completed the online curriculum this fall show that 75 percent of students felt they are more confident in their ability to intervene if a friend is misusing prescription drugs after taking the program and 73 percent said the course taught them where to find resources for drug abuse at their institution.
Frostburg State University has mandated the new digital prevention education solution for all incoming students this fall.
When
Thursday, November 16, 2017 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Where
Association for Accessible Medicines
601 New Jersey Avenue, Suite 850
Washington, DC 20001
Media Contacts
Rachel Schwartz
AAM – Director, Communications
202-249-7147
Monique Waters
EVERFI – Senior Director of Corporate Communications
301-233-4241
