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Latest - Mar 14, 2025
Painless Licensing + Spring TBE – Spring 2025 Newsletter
Hello, Painless: The Opioid Musical started as an idea to engage with students on the topic of opioid use after learning that almost 75% of high schoolers had access to unused opioids. Painless has been featured on The Today Show, seen by more than 2,400 students in Michigan, and streamed over 90,000 times. We are thrilled to share […]Dec 5, 2019
Michigan OPEN Attends Summit on Overdose Prevention
The “Opioid Overdose Prevention: Emergency Care of the Post-Opioid Overdose Patient” fall summit on Nov. 20 facilitated discussion among stakeholders on best practices and protocol development of post-opioid overdose care in the ED, with a specific focus on naloxone distribution. Participants gained an understanding of the current landscape of post-overdose care protocols around the state, […]Nov 22, 2019
1st Summit of ‘Opioid Overdose Prevention: Emergency Care of the Post-Overdose Patient” series
The first summit of the “Opioid Overdose Prevention: Emergency Care of the Post-Overdose Patient” series was held on Nov. 20, 2019 and was co-hosted by Michigan OPEN, MEDIC and the Injury Prevention Center. Discussion was facilitated among stakeholders on best practices and protocol development of post-opioid overdose care in the ED, with a specific focus […]Oct 30, 2019
Thousands of Pounds of Unused Medications Collected on National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
On Saturday, Oct. 26, Michigan residents in 46 counties had a chance to dispose of opioids and other unused and expired prescription medications in their medicine cabinets through 98 simultaneous events held around the state, including four sites in Indiana. The collective effort resulted in hundreds of families safely removing a total of 3,367 pounds […]Oct 23, 2019
Participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 26
The United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of prescription drug misuse and abuse. Opioid overdose deaths in Michigan have almost tripled in five years. To help combat this epidemic, Michigan OPEN is partnering with hospitals, pharmacies, community organizations and police departments around the state to host medication take back events on Saturday, Oct. 26 […]Oct 9, 2019
Dr. Brummett Contributes to Joint Op-Ed About Stigma
Dr. Chad Brummett of Michigan OPEN and Dr. Mary T. Bassett of Harvard University penned a joint op-ed about the role stigma plays in the nation’s opioid epidemic. The article, which appeared on Bridge Magazine’s website, stressed the necessity of developing an achievable plan of action to reduce the presence of stigma surrounding opioid use […]Sep 17, 2019
Michigan OPEN Participates in Naloxone Distribution Day
The state of Michigan distributed more than 50,000 naloxone kits during Naloxone Distribution Day on Sept. 14,2019. During the event, participating locations were able to pass out the kits free of charge in an effort to prevent deaths from opioid overdose. Michigan OPEN was thrilled to take part in the event in partnership with the […]Sep 12, 2019
Dr. Chad Brummett Warns Against Prescribing Opioids for Wisdom Tooth Extractions in Interview with CBS
Dr. Chad Brummett spoke with CBS News about the dangers of prescribing opioids for wisdom tooth extractions and discussed potential alternatives. Michigan OPEN’s research has found that just filling a prescription for opioids after a wisdom tooth extraction, which is often patients’ first exposure to opioids, more than doubles the risk of continued use in […]Sep 6, 2019
New Opioid Disposal Bin at CHLA
On July 1st, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles became the first free standing children’s hospital on the west coast to offer an opioid disposal bin. With Michigan OPEN’s guidance, the hospital endorsed installation of the disposal bin. For more information on safe opioid disposal, visit our website.Sep 6, 2019
Dr. Chad Brummett Discusses Opioid Use for Ankle Sprains in WBUR Interview
In an interview with WBUR, Dr. Chad Brummett addressed findings that opioid therapy is being used in treatment of ankle sprains despite not being included in recommendations. This comes from recent U-M publication “Rate of Opioid Prescriptions for Patients With Acute Ankle Sprain”. He discussed the issue in the broader context of the opioid epidemic, […]May 24, 2019
Opioids: Policy to Practice Summit 2019
On Friday May 10, 2019, the Opioids: Policy to Practice summit was held in Ypsilanti, MI. The event, co-sponsored by the University of Michigan and Harvard University, brought together hundreds of in-person and online attendees to learn about best practices and solutions regarding opioid prescribing and prescription drug monitoring, drug overdose detection, and access to […]May 11, 2019
Thousands of Unused Medications Returned Throughout Michigan for Medication Take Back Event
On Saturday, April 27 2019, Michigan residents in 34 counties brought opioids and other unused and expired prescription medications out to this spring’s Medication Take Back Event. The 54 simultaneous statewide events helped hundreds of families to properly dispose of a total of 3000 pounds of medication, including approximately 46,200 opioids. The event raises needed […]Feb 1, 2019