by Mark Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations
Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Cardinal Health Foundation’s Generation Rx Best Practices in Pain Medication Use grant program. The grant will be used to continue to combat the opioid crisis in Dayton through a chronic pain management program with enhanced communication.
Specifically, Cedarville’s School of Pharmacy will work in collaboration with the Rocking Horse Center in Springfield, Ohio to help patients make good medical decisions relating to pain management. The Dayton region, including Springfield, is widely known for being one of the worst areas in the nation for opioid abuse.
“This grant will support our efforts to help people make better decisions with their pain management, and hopefully, through this grant, lives can be restored,” said Aleda Chen, Pharm.D., Ph.D, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville University. “We are pleased to partner with Cardinal Health on providing solutions to the opioid crisis that has gripped our nation.”
Cedarville University was one of 15 healthcare organizations across Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia to receive the Best Practices in Pain Medication Use grant. Cedarville is the only college or university in the Dayton region to be awarded a grant by Cardinal Health to combat the opioid crisis.
As part of Cardinal Health’s Opioid Action Program, the Best Practices in Pain Medication Use grants are designed to support healthcare organizations work with their prescribers to reduce opioid prescriptions, find alternatives to opioid medication for pain management, and better engage their patients—with the ultimate goal of better patient outcomes. Organizations receiving this grant will also come together regularly in a learning collaborative guided by pain management specialists from the Geisinger Health Clinic, to share their progress, lessons learned and best practices as they fight the opioid epidemic.
"All of the organizations selected for funding share our goal of turning the tide on the opioid epidemic," said Jessie Cannon, Vice President of Community Relations at Cardinal Health. "Ultimately, we expect our grantees to learn from each other—and we will learn from them. As they develop best practices, our goal is to spread this work throughout the country, and foster solutions to this complex public health crisis.”
About Cedarville University
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
About Cardinal Health's Opioid Action Program
The Opioid Action Program is a multi-prong initiative to help communities in four of the nation’s hardest-hit states fight the opioid epidemic. Each element of the program is cited by leading experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, as critical to reducing opioid misuse, abuse, and addiction. The Opioid Action Program builds on Generation Rx, created through a partnership with the Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy to raise awareness and knowledge about the dangers of prescription drug misuse.
About the Cardinal Health Foundation
The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care efficiency, effectiveness and excellence and the overall wellness of the communities where Cardinal Health, Inc.'s (NYSE:CAH) approximately 50,000 employees live and work. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage community service among its employees and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster; because Cardinal Health, Inc. is #AllInForGood. To learn more, visit www.CardinalHealth.com/community.
About Generation Rx
Generation Rx works to end prescription drug misuse through prevention education, drug take back, best practices in pain management and community collaborations. The program was created through a partnership with the Cardinal Health Foundation and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. Since 2009, more than one million people across the country have been reached with Generation Rx messages, and pharmacists in 40 states have been honored with the Generation Rx Champions Award. To learn more, visit www.GenerationRx.org.
About Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health, Inc. is a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, providing customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices worldwide. The company provides clinically proven medical products, pharmaceuticals and cost-effective solutions that enhance supply chain efficiency from hospital to home. Cardinal Health connects patients, providers, payers, pharmacists and manufacturers for integrated care coordination and better patient management. To help combat prescription drug abuse, the company and its education partners created Generation Rx, a national drug education and awareness program. Backed by nearly 100 years of experience, with approximately 50,000 employees in nearly 60 countries, Cardinal Health ranks #14 on the Fortune 500. For more information, visit cardinalhealth.com, follow @CardinalHealth on Twitter, @cardinalhealthwings on Facebook and connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/ company/cardinal-health.