NEA guide designed to curb youth prescription drug abuse

The National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN) is set to release a resource guide designed to help educators teach students about prescription drug abuse and misuse.

The guide, Rx for Understanding: Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse, was created in partnership with RxSafetyMatters, a program of Purdue Pharma. It will be available in hard copy and online.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 20% of high school students have taken prescription drugs without a doctor's prescription at least once in their lives. Clearly, young people need to learn the importance of proper medication use so they can avoid putting themselves at risk of serious harm," said Jerald Newberry, executive director, NEA HIN. "This guide will help high school teachers build students' knowledge and skills so they can make healthy choices and use medications properly throughout their lives.”

The guide focuses on high school students and will be released during the upcoming National Education Association Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia.

The resource guide includes lessons, teaching resources, a reproducible reflective student journal, national education standards alignment charts, and parental information. It can be incorporated into multiple subject areas or as a supplement to existing health curriculums.

"We are delighted to partner with the NEA HIN to make available to teachers a curriculum that will help them teach young people about the dangers of misusing and abusing medications," said Pamela Bennett, RN, BSN, executive director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue. "This program is part of a larger effort by Purdue to work with educators, the medical community, and law enforcement to help combat the abuse and diversion of medications.”

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