International Overdose Awareness Day - August 31st

International Overdose Awareness Day is an event held on August 31, focused on raising awareness about prescription opioid overdose risk, providing information on available community services, and preventing drug-related harm. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends that have lost loved ones to overdose.

Drug overdose deaths rose by close to 30% in the United States in 2020, hitting the highest number ever recorded, reported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2020, according to provisional data released by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. That's a 29.4% increase from the 72,151 deaths projected for 2019.

There’s no question the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic is a contributing factor to the increase in overdose related deaths, however overdoses from opioids have been steadily worsening in the U.S. for decades. As the pandemic recedes and public health restrictions are lifted, the overdose crisis has not receded in kind. 

There is plenty of ‘blame’ for the current crisis to go around. From Congress blaming the FDA for approving new synthetic opioids, to the manufacturers of these drugs being prosecuted for their role in marketing them, to doctors for overprescribing opioids and addicting people to them in the first place. This is a multifaceted issue with no clear way to approach an impactful solution.

International Overdose Awareness Day focuses on reaching the people most impacted by the overdose crisis, those who are in the clutches of addiction and their family and friends. Quince Orchard Medical Center has never prescribed addictive pain medications. Instead we turn our treatment for chronic pain to the cause of the disease and solutions that focus on rebuilding lost strength, mobility, and even regaining damaged tissue.

We introduced OrthoBiologics to our practice in 2020. These treatments include the use of Human Cellular Tissue Products and Platelet Rich Plasma which uses therapeutic tissues found in your own body to regrow lost tissue, reduce inflammation, and effectively resolve degenerative joint conditions. This treatment method, combined with traditional physical therapy, is revolutionary, minimally invasive, low risk, and bringing incredible results to our patients.

We at QOMC truly believe OrthoBiologics is a power path forward to help end the overdose crisis. Call us at 301-762-6686 for more information on OrthoBiologics and how a visit with Kara Kelly, NP, can improve chronic pain and wellness.