Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland Joins RALI Maryland Initiative to Fight Opioid Addiction
Organization Joins Health, Business Stakeholders to Raise Awareness on Prevention and Treatment Options
BALTIMORE, MD. (June 22, 2018) – The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI), a
diverse alliance of community leaders, health care stakeholders and business
representatives, announced today that the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland, has joined the coalition to help raise awareness about effective prevention and treatment options to address opioid addiction.
“We are so pleased to join this initiative,” Maryland Hospice & Palliative Care Network Executive Director Peggy Funk said. “Our members are often in a position where unused opioids are present and need to be disposed of. New legislation signed by the governor this year is a big step forward for our network, but we can always use more education and awareness with the public. This broad coalition helps bring this all together for us.”
Earlier this year, Governor Larry Hogan signed into law House Bill 407/Senate Bill 232: Public Health – General Hospice Care Programs – Collection and Disposal of Unused Prescription Medication. This new law will help address the disposal of unused prescription medication in home hospice settings by relieving the burden of family members having to worry about unused prescriptions when their loved one has died, and helping to ensure that unused prescriptions, many of which are strong opioids, are not taken by anyone other than the patient for whom they were intended.
RALI Maryland consists of more than a dozen local, state and national organizations that have come together to find solutions to end the opioid crisis in Maryland. The group and its partners will highlight programs that help save lives, mobilize stakeholders to educate and partner with policymakers, provide readily-available informational resources for residents and share the stories of those on the frontlines of the crisis.
RALI Maryland’s website, RALImd.org, will serve as a hub for information and resources about the initiative, its featured programs and addiction and substance use disorders.
The Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland is a membership association for hospice and palliative care programs, services, and facilities in the state of Maryland. The organization offers support, resources, training, education and a legislative “voice” to its member organizations. It also serves as a connection point to those in search of their members’ services. For more information, visit www.hnmd.org.
In 2016, more than 2,000 Maryland residents lost their lives to drug overdoses – a 59 percent increase in overdose deaths from 2015. Research shows that about 60 percent of people who have abused prescription medications got the drugs from a home medicine cabinet. Maryland has implemented a comprehensive response to the crisis with a series of executive actions and new programs to help residents and community leaders address addiction.
For more information about RALI Maryland, visit RALImd.org.
ABOUT RALI Maryland:
RALI Maryland is an alliance of more than a dozen local, state and national
organizations committed to finding solutions to end the opioid crisis in
Maryland. Members of the coalition include:
Cecil County Community Drug Coalition
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland
Maryland Chamber of Commerce
Maryland Fraternal Order of Police
Maryland Pharmacists Association
Maryland Realtors
Maryland Rural Health Association
Maryland State Grange
MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society
National Black Nurses Association
National Consumers League
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Professional Firefighters of Maryland
Southern Baptist Church
Veterans Health Council
Vets Against Drugs
Vietnam Veterans of America
Contact:
Rick Abbruzzese
410-790-5002
Beth Levine
443-812-4871
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