On September 28, 2020, DisposeRx President William Simpson participated in an Opioid Roundtable in Concord, N.C., hosted by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Jim Carroll.
Simpson was one of 14 people invited to discuss innovative ways that North Carolinians are combatting the opioid crisis, especially in light of the additional stressors of COVID-19. Carroll was interested in compiling unique and interesting ideas that he could share with other communities impacted by the Opioid public health crisis.
“I was grateful to be invited to participate with community and legislative leaders, as well as law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals,” Simpson said. “And of course I was delighted to represent DisposeRx and share information about how we are supporting pharmacies, health plans and health systems with their opioid stewardship initiatives with our product and accompanying education program.”
Also at the table was Marcella Beam, chief community health officer at Cabarrus Health Alliance. Beam showcased CHA’s Substance Use Network project—an initiative focused on helping pregnant women recover from opioid and substance abuse through Medication Assisted Treatment.
Beam also shared some of the ways that CHA—a DisposeRx Community Outreach Partner—has worked in their local community to distribute donated DisposeRx packets in an effort to prevent opioid diversion and misuse.
“We have collaborated with Meals on Wheels to share the packets and educate seniors—many of whom are homebound and need at-home medication disposal solutions,” Beam said.
Both Beam and Simpson agreed that they learned a great deal from participating in the panel discussion—ideas that can be put to use immediately.
“One of the common themes from all of the participants was the need for more education—a key part of the DisposeRx mission. We will continue to work with legislators and communities to provide the education they need to encourage safe medication management and behavior change,” Simpson said.
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