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ONDCP Director Visit
White House Drug Policy Director Visits North Carolina to Call for Increased Action to Prevent Drug Overdose Deaths
Click here for meeting agenda and speaker bios for Wednesday 22, 2012
An Estimated 37,000 people Died from Drug Overdoses in the U.S. in 2009; Director Gil Kerlikowske to Call for 15 Percent Reduction over 5 Years in Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths Nationwide
(Washington, DC) – Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and President Obama’s top drug policy advisor will visit Wilkesboro, North Carolina on Wednesday, August 22nd. During his visit, Kerlikowske will deliver a speech calling drug overdose deaths preventable and outline a national goal of reducing unintentional drug overdose deaths by 15 percent over the next five years. Kerlikowske’s remarks will take place during a meeting with officials from Project Lazarus, an innovative non-profit overdose prevention program operating in North Carolina and ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day, which takes place on August 31st. [Statistics about the effectiveness of Project Lazarus can be found here.]
To address the problem of overdose and opioid abuse, the Obama Administration has released Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis. A national framework for reducing prescription drug diversion and abuse, the plan supports the expansion of state-based prescription drug monitoring programs, more convenient and environmentally responsible disposal methods to remove unused medications from the home, education for patients and healthcare providers, and reducing the prevalence of pill mills and doctor shopping through enforcement efforts. The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy – the nation’s primary blueprint for drug policy in the United States – also outlines support for the use of naloxone to reverse overdose deaths.
Who: Gil Kerlikowske, Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
What: Speech on Overdose Prevention [Please RSVP here]
When: Wednesday August 22, 9:30am-11:00am ET
Where: Wilkes Community College, The Walker Center, 1328 South Collegiate Drive Wilkesboro, NC 28697 [Campus Map, Building #12]
Webcast: Watch the recorded webcast
Twitter: @ProLazNC
Email: info@projectlazarus.org
See complete news media coverage here
News media should RSVP to MediaInquiry@ondcp.eop.gov
