Get Social
Actions that will impact the availability of evidence-based, best practice interventions that you can undertake to address the challenges of Pain and Opioid use in your community
When pain management is necessary, the last thing you want is for your physicians, health professional hospital to cause a preventable addiction and potential overdose and related medical conditions. As citizens, we must take action to prevent others from getting addicted and potentially die of an overdose. It doesn't have to be this way.
When it comes to pain and opioid use, good enough is not enough.
Help establish healthy communities and environment
Goal: To help you engage in your social environment and healthy ecosystem in order to achieve Optimal Wellness and a healthy community
-
Get Social: Explore Your Health and Social Ecosystem
-
Get Social: Family and Friends
-
Get Social: Citizen Organizations
-
Get Social: Healthcare System
-
Get Social: Community
Get Social: Explore Your Health and Social Ecosystem
Find out the impact of the Opiate Epidemic on your community.
Find out the various stakeholders that are involved in the opiate epidemic.
Support stakeholders taking action to treat the challenges of the epidemic.
Find ways to participate
My Ecosystem provides information about specific assets and related aspects of your physical and related environment.
-
Give your community, hospitals, and other stakeholders a check-up
-
Diagnose the problems gather data
-
Demand transparency, accountability, and public reporting by and of stakeholders
​
Go to Your Health Ecosystem
Get Social: Family and Friends
Concerned about friend/family member?
My Personal Health Manager is designed to help you achieve optimal health by building on an understanding of what it takes to create Optimal Health (Salutogenesis) and utilized the latest in digital technology and resources to support you in your health journey.
Go to My Personal Health Manager
What Science Says To Do If Your Loved One Has An Opioid Addiction
Family Checkup: Positive Parenting Prevents Drug Abuse
The following five questions, developed by the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon, highlight parenting skills that are important in preventing the initiation and progression of drug use among youth.
-
Are you able to communicate calmly and clearly with your teenager regarding relationship problems?
-
Do you encourage positive behaviors in your teenager on a daily basis?
-
Are you able to negotiate emotional conflicts with your teenager and work toward a solution?
-
Are you able to calmly set limits when your teenager is defiant or disrespectful? Are you able to set limits on more serious problem behavior such as drug use, if or when it occurs?
-
Do you monitor your teenager to assure that he or she does not spend too much unsupervised time with peers?
Get Social: Citizen Organizations
Learn about Foundations Support Citizen Organizations
The mission of The FED UP! Coalition is to create one voice calling for an end to the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths attributed to opioids (including heroin) and other prescription drugs.
Angels in Motion started with one woman’s efforts to rescue her child from the disease of addiction. While searching the streets of Kensington (a neighborhood in Philadelphia), for her son, Carol Rostucher saw that many other children and loved ones were suffering and lost as well.
Carol began to open her heart to the streets and spread her love where it was needed the most. Her efforts included treating each person as an individual and offering her genuine compassion and understanding, and providing “blessing bags” which contain food, snacks, clothing, hygiene products, and resource information to obtain help when they are ready.
​
​
Get Social: Healthcare System
Learn about the healthcare system
-
Diagnose the problems gather data
-
Demand transparency, accountability and public reporting by and of stakeholders
Hospitals and physicians (Checklist)
-
Contact hospital Chairman of the Board: Letter
-
Contact Medical Associations, Dental
-
Personal Letter to physicians
-
Educate Clinicians:
-
Work on training future professionals—in law, nursing, pharmacy, social work, student affairs and medicine—because it all starts there;
-
-
Set up day of information in hospitals
-
Grand rounds
-
Public Reporting (link to blog)
Comprehensive plans for addressing pain and addiction:
Insurance Companies:
-
Review coverage
-
Regulations
-
Etc.
Get Social: Community
Learn about Foundations Support Citizen Organizations
The mission of The FED UP! Coalition is to create one voice calling for an end to the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths attributed to opioids (including heroin) and other prescription drugs.
Angels in Motion started with one woman’s efforts to rescue her child from the disease of addiction. While searching the streets of Kensington (a neighborhood in Philadelphia), for her son, Carol Rostucher saw that many other children and loved ones were suffering and lost as well.
Carol began to open her heart to the streets and spread her love where it was needed the most. Her efforts included treating each person as an individual and offering her genuine compassion and understanding, and providing “blessing bags” which contain food, snacks, clothing, hygiene products, and resource information to obtain help when they are ready.
My Community Checklist
Learn more about opioids. You’ll be better prepared to catch the signs of abuse — and prevent addiction and overdose in your community.
1. An assessment of my community
2. The policies and practice of the healthcare institution
3. My community Health and Wellness Ecosystem
4. The availability of the quality of addiction treatment services
5. The Stigma issue
My Citizen's Toolbox: (Get political to understand and participate in the political ecosystem)
1. My political ecosystem
2. Contact your political representatives
3. Follow legislation
4. Follow the performance of the stakeholders
The System We Need
The state of the union in mental health and addiction in this country is one of great promise and almost unlimited potential. From legislation and regulation to advocacy and organizing, together we are changing the conversation and making real progress.
We also know there is much more to do. We need to keep pushing ahead. We must push toward the system we need. The system we deserve. The system we, and millions of our fellow citizens, are waiting for.