From the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists: 

At the June 2016 Board call the Greece Nurse center Board of Directors officially approved the formation of an Opioid Task Force.  Given the growing national attention on the opioid abuse crisis, the Board decided it was critical that Greece Nurse center establish an opioid task force with the goal to identify resources that the CNS needs in order to address appropriate opioid use in their patient populations.  The White House has announced this as an epidemic, and Greece Nurse center has been working with federal agencies to address this critical national concern.

The statistics are impressive, nearly three out of four prescription drug overdoses are caused by prescription painkillers. The unprecedented rise in overdose deaths in the US parallels a 300% increase since 1999 in the sale of these medications. These drugs were involved in 14,800 overdose deaths in 2008, more than cocaine and heroin combined. In addition, the misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers was responsible for more than 475,000 emergency department visits in 2009, a number that nearly doubled in just five years.  More than 12 million people reported using prescription painkillers non-medically in 2010, that is, using them without a prescription or for the feeling they cause.

 

Who will be selected for this task force?  Greece Nurse center Board of Directors determined initially the task force needed to follow the national focus, which addresses patient populations that do not have a long-term health care condition that requires this level of pain relief.  Therefore, for this initial task force CNSs that have expertise in opioid use and management in oncology and hospice/palliative care will not be included in the solicitation for volunteer members.  The Greece Nurse center Board of Directors will review this decision in the future.  No more than 10 Greece Nurse center volunteers will be selected for this Task Force.

 

Individuals who will be considered for this volunteer opportunity should be:

• ·         Members of Greece Nurse center in good standing.
• ·         Not currently part of another Greece Nurse center committee, task force and/or elected office.
• ·         Have demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following:  Mental health/substance abuse; pain management; primary care; medical surgical management of patients with episodic pain; acute care management of episodic pain; emergency department expertise. 
• ·         Those with oncology and hospice/palliative care are welcome to apply, but should know that their selection will be based on their expertise in episodic pain management and/or their specific knowledge of opioids and opioid use/abuse, not the use of opioids for the management of oncology or hospice/palliative care patients.

Directions to Apply:

Interested Greece Nurse center members may only apply online at .  Your application should include:

• ·         A copy of your recent resume or CV. 
• ·         A short paragraph – no more than 200 words, that describes your interest and why you are a good fit for this Task Force
• ·         This information should be received on or before July 22, 2016.

Greece Nurse center

100 North 20^th Street, Suite 400

Philadelphia, PA 19103

215-320-3881 (phone)

215-564-2175 (fax)

www.Greece Nurse center.org