National Safety Council and Pacira BioSciences Partner to Launch an Employee-Based Program Focused on Opioid Use and Misuse

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Jun 16, 2022, 07:30 ET

Initiative educates employees and their family members on the importance of preventing opioid misuse and addiction

ITASCA, Ill., June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Safety Council, America's leading nonprofit safety advocate, and Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX), the industry leader in its commitment to non-opioid pain management and regenerative health solutions, today announced the launch of their partnership and the Connect2Prevent program. Connect2Prevent is an innovative employee-family educational program that increases awareness and prevention of opioid addiction.

NSC created a comprehensive curriculum designed to educate employees on the risks associated with opioids and provide them with the tools to have meaningful discussions with adolescent family members. The curriculum includes 10-12 weeks of engaging lessons on opioids, addiction, stigma, risk factors for substance use, refusal skills, harm reduction, how to talk to doctors about opioid alternatives and more. The lessons provide easy-to-understand education, action steps and evidence-based tools to connect and communicate with teens.

"As an organization committed to eliminating the leading causes of preventable death, we recognize the opportunity education presents to curtail the tragic impact of opioid addiction and misuse," said Jenny Burke, vice president of impairment practice at NSC. "We are committed to saving lives by providing information and resources about the risks of opioids and opioid misuse to help employees and their loved ones have thoughtful conversations on this topic. Our partnership with Pacira is a significant step in the right direction toward supporting these efforts."

Connect2Prevent uses a 2Gen approach, giving employees information about opioids and how to communicate and connect with their teens. The program has the potential to impact families across generations. Connect2Prevent supports employees and their families through this curriculum and incorporates input and ideas provided by teens for how the adults in their lives can talk with them about this important topic into the lessons.

"Children who use prescription opioids before 12th grade have a 33% higher risk of opioid misuse as an adult," said Dave Stack, chief executive officer and chairman of Pacira BioSciences, Inc. "Education is a critical component in the fight against the opioid crisis, and raising awareness to the availability of non-opioid options to treat both acute and chronic pain is central to the Pacira mission to improve patient care."

The program will be piloted this summer, with participants receiving weekly lessons. Each lesson includes educational information, action steps and ways to connect and communicate with teens, including evidence-based motivational interviewing strategies. Pilot participants will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the program before it is launched publicly in 2023.

About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is America's leading nonprofit safety advocate–and has been for more than 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

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About Pacira

Pacira BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCRX) is committed to providing a non-opioid option to as many patients as possible to redefine the role of opioids as rescue therapy only. The company is also developing innovative interventions to address debilitating conditions involving the sympathetic nervous system, such as cardiac electrical storm, chronic pain, and spasticity. Pacira has three commercial-stage non-opioid treatments: EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a long-acting local analgesic currently approved for infiltration, fascial plane block, and as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block for postsurgical pain management; ZILRETTA® (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension), an extended-release, intra-articular injection indicated for the management of osteoarthritis knee pain; and iovera°®, a novel, handheld device for delivering immediate, long-acting, drug-free pain control using precise, controlled doses of cold temperature to a targeted nerve. To learn more about Pacira, including the corporate mission to reduce overreliance on opioids, visit www.pacira.com.

SOURCE National Safety Council