WSHA is a committed partner in the Washington State Opioid Response Plan and in collaboration with the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA), will begin distributing opioid stewardship campaign materials to support your hospital and community.
The first batch of the Starts with One campaign marketing material and toolkits (in English and Spanish) will begin shipping this week to several hospitals. The materials include English and Spanish posters for exam rooms or waiting areas, a pop-up banner for waiting areas, rack cards with facts about opioids and information on safe storage and disposal of leftover opioids, talking points for providers to use with patients and more.
Due to the nature of the HCA’s opioid misuse grant funding, the materials will need to be published and shipped prior to Sept. 30, 2022, to the remaining hospitals. Please be on the lookout for these materials arriving at your facilities, noted with “Attn: Hospital Chief Medical Officer.”
Hospitals are encouraged to work within your leadership and/or marketing teams to use the materials in your emergency departments, common spaces/corridors and/or other areas that support messaging.
Hospitals that order additional campaign materials will be able to customize the materials by adding their hospital logo. For more information, visit the campaign’s provider toolkit webpage.
Opioid misuse continues to be a serious national public health issue with nearly 71,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019 involving an opioid. Most people who misuse prescription drugs get them from family, friends and/or acquaintances. One key comprehensive strategy to reduce opioid misuse is to support national and state efforts in reducing opioid misuse. And, as health care providers, you influence the choices your patients make. By encouraging them to take one simple step – like locking up medications in the home or disposing of unused pills at a secure medication disposal kiosk – you are helping them make choices that protect the health of their loved ones and prevent opioid misuse in our communities.
On behalf of WSHA, we want to thank you for your engagement and effort in your community to reduce opioid misuse.
