Theo tin phila.gov
For Immediate Release: May 01, 2017
Published By: Office of the Mayor
Contact: James Garrow, (215) 686-9065, James.Garrow@phila.gov
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Department of Public Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) have partnered to launch a media campaign in an effort to prevent more deaths from opioids. Mayor Jim Kenney joined Health Commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley and DBHIDS Deputy Commissioner Roland Lamb in unveiling the new ads that hit the air waves today. The videos contain a collection of stories told by people whose lives have been forever changed by prescription painkillers.
“Prescription painkillers are inherently dangerous drugs,” said Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city health commissioner, referring to opioid drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet. “They are addictive and can kill, just as heroin can. Just because they are prescribed by doctors does not make them safe.”
The campaign, titled “Don’t Take The Risk”, features people who have themselves experienced addiction to prescription painkillers and others who have lost loved ones from opioid overdose. Two of the people in the ads attended the press conference and spoke about how opioid addiction affected them and their families. The videos will be shown on both cable and broadcast television and on social media in the Philadelphia media market. The advertisements will run through July 1, 2017. The campaign tagline is “prescription opioids: heroin in pill form.”
“This is a city-wide epidemic that is destroying lives and families. We have to use every opportunity we can to educate Philadelphians about the devastating effects of prescription opioids,” said Mayor Kenney. “We can’t afford to lose this fight.”
“I feel it’s my responsibility to share my story with the hope of helping others and bringing awareness to this horrible epidemic,” said Wendy P Monaghan, one of the women featured in the video who lost her son to an overdose.
In 2016, 907 people died from drug overdoses in Philadelphia, an increase of nearly 30% from the previous year. Eighty percent of these deaths involve opioids, including heroin and fentanyl. Thousands of non-fatal overdoses also occurred in Philadelphia, burdening the city’s emergency personnel and hospitals. For four out of five new heroin users, their addiction began with prescription opioid painkillers. People can begin to
show signs of withdrawal from opioids after taking them daily for as little as a week. Fatal overdose can occur if someone takes just a few pills at one time.
“This issue is not going away. In every way, we need to remind ourselves that each person impacted by this crisis is a member of our community,” said Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services Deputy Commissioner Roland Lamb. “Initiatives like this will allow us to move the message out into our communities and, hopefully, we’ll all feel empowered to be a part of the solution and help those dealing with substance use to get on the path to recovery.”
The Department of Public Health believes everyone needs to hear the stories in the video, so it encourages Philadelphia residents to view the videos at DontTakeTheRisk.org and share them over social media.
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This content was last updated on May 1, 2017 by Office of the Mayor.
https://beta.phila.gov/press-releases/mayor/official-launch-of-dont-take-the-risk-campaign/
