PAEA Part of President’s Plan to Combat Drug Abuse

At an event in West Virginia yesterday, President Obama announced plans to address the escalating abuse of prescription drugs and heroin in our country. A White House fact sheet outlining efforts to combat this serious epidemic focused on a two-pronged approach involving prescriber training and improving access to treatment.

PAEA was mentioned, along with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), as organizations that will “share professional guidance and best practices to better educate the next generation of health care workers on opioid misuse and substance abuse disorders.”

“PAEA is committed to working with the AAMC and AACN to develop guidelines and competencies to ensure that PA students are properly trained in opioid prescribing,” said PAEA CEO Timi Agar Barwick, MPM. “This vitally important topic will become a standard component of the PA education curriculum.”

Federal, state, local, and private sector efforts will include commitments from more than 40 health care provider groups — including PAs, doctors, dentists, advanced practice registered nurses, and physical therapists, as well as educators. More than 540,000 health care providers will complete opioid prescriber training over the next two years.