News

OPEN Team Attends 2024 Rx Summit

This past April, team members visited Atlanta, Georgia for the 2024 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit. The Rx Summit is the largest national collaboration for professionals from local, state, and federal organizations to gather and discuss the impact of the drug epidemic. Attendees can collaborate and learn in multiple ways, including visiting exhibitor booths, viewing […]

OPEN, Safe Rx Partner to Provide Locking Pill Vials to Community Organizations

Throughout 2023, OPEN began distributing Safe Rx Locking Pill Vials (LPVs) to conference attendees as a way to promote safe storage of medications. It became clear very quickly that there was a need, and demand, from community members and organizations alike for resources like this. To get LPVs into the hands of more people, OPEN […]

Take A.C.T.I.O.N. Naloxone Training Travels to Community High School for First All-Teen Training

On Wednesday, April 10th, Dr. Gina Dahlem, Clinical Associate Professor at University of Michigan School of Nursing, brought the Take A.C.T.I.O.N. Naloxone In-Person Training to Community High School, where a group of students grades 9-12 gathered together to learn about the importance of carrying naloxone.  Students discussed a variety of topics, including how the drug […]

OPEN Updates: Spring 2024 Newsletter!

Happy Spring! We are thrilled to have you join us as we share exciting updates, valuable resources, and upcoming events. In this Spring 2024 edition, you can expect to find exclusive content and peek into what’s in store for our organization. As we continue to grow and evolve, we are committed to keeping you informed […]

Painless: The Opioid Musical Tours in Fall 2023; Schedules Spring 2024 Tour

Creation of Painless: The Opioid Musical started after Dr. Chad Brummett, Co-Director of OPEN, presented to a group of high school health policy students and asked them who could go home and easily get their hands on unused opioids within an hour. To his surprise, 75% of the students raised their hands. On his drive […]

A New OPEN: The Overdose Prevention Engagement Network

OPEN + MOC: One team, moving forward.  This year, the Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network and the Michigan Opioid Collaborative have integrated to create the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN). The new OPEN will focus on supporting community and healthcare organizations through the key pillars of prevention, treatment, and recovery. “The integration of our two teams […]

OPEN Sees Big Successes at the Fall 2023 Take Back Event

The Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN) has been collaborating with communities and helping organize Take Back Events since 2019. With nearly 5 years of Take Back Events under our belt, this most recent event, which was held on October 28th, has been one of our most successful yet, setting multiple milestone achievements.  “In Fall 2023, […]

Naloxone Vending Machine Now Available in Michigan Medicine Adult Emergency Department

On Wednesday, October 11th, OPEN and Michigan Medicine officially launched access to a new Naloxone Vending Machine in the Adult Emergency Department waiting room. This vending machine is free to the public and allows community members access to Narcan, an intranasal form of naloxone.  “Michigan Medicine has been wonderful to work with on this project,” […]

New Michigan landscape map highlights counties affected hardest by opioid epidemic

ANN ARBOR—A new landscape map and analysis created by the University of Michigan show demographic information with a connection to opioid use disorder, examining data such as unemployment rates, annual income, opioid-related hospitalizations, and physical and mental health and well-being. To create the map, U-M’s Poverty Solutions and Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (OPEN) used available […]

Connecting Pharmacy Students and Communities for Safe Medication Storage and Disposal

At the beginning of each school year, the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy sends students, old and new, to community pharmacies to share safe storage and disposal materials. In their second year back since the start of COVID-19, the College of Pharmacy partnered with OPEN to help hand out more materials and reach more […]

Read Our Fall 2023 Newsletter

Our Fall newsletter is here! Featuring new resources, information on the Fall 2023 Take Back Event, our exciting upcoming events and more! Read our Fall 2023 newsletter here. Subscribe to our newsletter here. 

OPEN overcomes barriers to identifying, caring for surgical patients at risk of substance use in Michigan Hospitals

Introduction Most Americans will have at least one surgery in their life and potentially be prescribed opioids for postsurgical pain management,1 and 6-10% of surgical patients will continue to use opioids months after a surgery.2 On average, 9.7 million Americans a year misuse opioids, and 19.7 million will be diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder (SUD).3  […]