Coalition to Advance Effective Programs for Prevention,
Treatment and Recovery Broadens
BALTIMORE, Md. (Sept. 11, 2018) – The Maryland Hospital Association has joined the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI), a diverse alliance of Maryland’s community leaders, health care providers, and business representatives working to end opioid addiction.
The coalition helps raise awareness about effective prevention, as well as treatment and recovery options. It also advances effective programs that address opioid addiction.
“Maryland’s hospitals are on the front lines of the state’s opioid epidemic,” said Bob Atlas, President & CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association. “It will take many hands, with diverse specializations, to help our state recover, and RALI offers a unique opportunity to come together with the singular focus needed to turn the tide. We’re grateful to be part of an active, engaged coalition dedicated to overcoming this opioid scourge.”
In 2016, nearly 2,000 Maryland residents lost their lives to opioid overdoses, according to state data. 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.
About the Maryland Hospital Association
The Maryland Hospital Association serves all of Maryland’s hospitals and health systems through collective action to shape policies, practices, financing and performance to advance health care and the health of all Marylanders.
About RALI Maryland
RALI Maryland consists of 20 local, state and national organizations that have come together to find solutions to end the opioid crisis in Maryland. The group and its partners 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. An initial focus of the alliance is educating residents about the importance of proper disposal of prescription medicines. Members of the coalition include:
· Cecil County Community Drug Coalition
· Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
· Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland
· Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores
· Maryland Chamber of Commerce
· Maryland Fraternal Order of Police
· Maryland Hospital Association
· 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
For more information about RALI Maryland, visit RALImd.org.
