Contact:
Richard P. Gulla
(781) 434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham,
Mass. – Feb. 20, 2016 – The president of the Massachusetts Medical Society today
applauded the National Governors Association and the American Medical
Association for their joint statement in calling for united action to end the
epidemic of opioid abuse.
“This
joint statement by the governors and the nation’s largest physicians’ group,”
said Dennis M. Dimitri, M.D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society,”demonstrates the intense effort on the part of both parties toward ending this
epidemic. It calls for collaboration between physicians and public officials,
and describes agreement on the strategies needed to fight the epidemic. It is a
statement with both symbolism and substance.”
Dr.
Dimitri noted that many of the strategies outlined in this joint call to action
have already been implemented in the Commonwealth with leadership by both the
MMS and state officials. These include
robust improvement in the state’s prescription monitoring program, promulgation
of prescribing guidelines for physicians, educating physicians in pain
management, educating patients about the risks of these medications and their
proper storage and disposal, and recognition of addiction as a disease rather
than a crime with prioritization of treatment.
“Physicians
in Massachusetts began working with state officials on this issue nearly a year
ago,” Dr. Dimitri said, “and we realize that more can and will be done. The opioid epidemic remains the Medical
society’s top priority, and we will continue our efforts to curb any excessive
prescribing and to eliminate overdoses and deaths, while at the same time
ensuring that those patients with acute and chronic pain are able to get the
relief they need.”
The
medical society has been in the forefront of battling the opioid epidemic,
creating programs on its own and working with Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney
General Maura Healey, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, and
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel in developing strategies and
responses to the crisis. It was one of
the first health organizations to issue prescribing guidelines for health care
providers, has reached out to both physicians and patients to educate them
about the risks of pain medications as well as the proper storage and disposal
of those medications, worked with Commissioner Bharel and the deans of the
medical schools in developing curriculum for medical students, and raised
public awareness about opioid abuse through public forums and the media.
The Massachusetts Medical
Society, with some 25,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to
educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The
Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of
Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and Journal Watch
alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in
continuing medical education providing accredited and certified activities
across the globe for physicians and other health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest
continuously operating medical society in the country.
