DGIM is helping to keep attention focused on the nation's opioid crisis, again with expertise from Dr. Larry Greenblatt. Greenblatt this time published with Jai Kumar, MD, from the NC Healthcare Association, an organization of hospitals and health systems. Together they responded to a commentary request from North Carolina Medical Journal. The current issue, May-June 2018, is dedicated to "The Opioid Crisis".
Greenblatt and Kumar submitted: How North Carolina Hospitals, Health Systems, and Care Providers are Uniting to Fight the Opioid Epidemic . The authors present the magnitude of the crisis and the state's response by forming partnerships with hospitals. They report strategies they have seen successful. However, the future threat of opioid abuse remains significant and can only succeed with full cooperation amongst all stakeholders - local government, hospitals, health systems, and providers.
Read more about Greenblatt's leadership in managing the opioid crisis.
Citation:
Kumar J, Greenblatt L. How North Carolina Hospitals, Health Systems, and Care Providers are Uniting to Fight the Opioid Epidemic. N C Med J. 2018;79(3):177-178.
"We believe state and local governments, hospitals and health systems, insurers, and individual providers must continue to collaborate to align and improve strategies to further reduce unsafe or unnecessary prescribing..."
The NCMJ appears six times per year and is read by a wide range of health care professionals, policy makers, government officials, business executives, educators, researchers, and interested lay people.