CLEVELAND, Ohio – Officials kicked off an expansive awareness campaign on the risks of prescription opioid abuse Wednesday, and touted it as a critical component in the fight against a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that has claimed thousands of lives in Cuyahoga County.
The “Know the Risks” campaign is a collaborative effort among local agencies and organizations, production companies, hospitals and media outlets, including cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. The campaign will include news coverage, public service announcements, commercials, print advertisements and social media outreach on the risks associated with prescription opioids.
Click here for cleveland.com’s full coverage of the KnowTheRx campaign.
“While the opioid crisis is national, I don’t believe any other community in the country has put together a collaborative effort like this one,” Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish said Wednesday at a news conference.
“Know the Risks” began with a promotional blitz, but it is intended to be an ongoing campaign. The Cuyahoga County Opioid Marketing Task Force, which organized “Know the Risks,” is planning additional events and advertising campaigns that will be announced later, Budish said.
“We see this as a continuing effort,” Budish said. “This [epidemic] is something that is tragic for families in Northeast Ohio, and we can make a difference. This will not be a one-time thing.”
The campaign is intended to combat a heroin and fentanyl epidemic that is becoming deadlier each year. Cuyahoga County reported a record 610 overdose deaths in 2016, and is on pace to report nearly 850 in 2017, county Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson said.
The “Know the Risks” campaign could help reduce those numbers because many people develop an addiction to prescription opioids before transitioning to heroin and fentanyl, Gilson said.
“If we don’t create a population of people who are addicted to pain medication, they won’t seek out illicit substances down the road,” he said.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson agreed, saying that education is key to stopping an epidemic that has claimed approximately 60 lives this year in his city.
“If we’re going to make an impact, it has to be in several steps. And the first step is about education and prevention,” Jackson said. “The more we’re able to prevent … the better of we’ll be.”
The Cuyahoga County Opioid Marketing Task Force is comprised of officials from Cuyahoga County, the city of Cleveland, the medical examiner’s office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local hospitals. Most of its members are marketing and communications professionals.
The “Know the Risks” campaign is intended to supplement ongoing efforts that have focused on treating addicts, supporting their families, stopping the spread of drugs and arresting drug dealers, officials said.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, and the Greater Cleveland RTA are all participating in the campaign by donating advertising space. Hospitals including MetroHealth and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center are also joining the effort.
“This, to me, is what Cleveland is all about,” Dr. Akram Boutros, MetroHealth’s president and CEO, said. “This campaign stops an epidemic in the best place to stop one: where it starts.”
One of the community partners participating in the effort is Greg McNeil, who founded Cover2Resources after his son died of a heroin overdose. McNeil said he is confident the “Know the Risks” campaign will help families impacted by opioid addictions.
“This campaign is going to save lives,” McNeil said. “This campaign is going to change the outcome for some families. This campaign is going to make a difference.”
Media outlets will feature “Know Your Risks” content over the next few days. Here’s a partial schedule of coverage:
Thursday, April 6
4:30 a.m. – 7 a.m. TV and radio news coverage.
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. IdeaStream hosts a live phone bank with experts taking calls. TV news stations will report live from the phone bank.
11 p.m. TV news coverage.
Friday, April 7
9 a.m. Coverage on “The Sound of Ideas” on IdeaStream.
Sunday, April 9
The Plain Dealer will highlight “Know the Risks.”
Original article found at: http://www.cleveland.com/knowtherx/2017/04/know_the_risks_campaign_is_cri.html#incart_maj-story-1
