News

OPEN Cited in new CDC Prescribing Guidelines

In the CDC’s November 4th publication of the 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain, OPEN was cited throughout the article. The CDC referenced OPEN’s recommendations for the number of opioid pills to consider prescribing for patients undergoing surgical procedures, the use of non-opioid medications for acute pain, and prescribing recommendations after dental […]

OPEN Team Presents Pediatric Research at the 2022 APHA Conference

OPEN team members Heidi Aslesen and Zahra Dawson attended the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Boston from November 6th through November 9th to present research on the intersection of pediatric opioid prescribing, BMI and the impact on children. The APHA Annual Meeting is a yearly public health conference that celebrates the vast […]

Painless: The Opioid Musical Now Available for Streaming

Painless: The Opioid Musical is officially available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music! The OPEN team is excited for this impactful project to be available to share with a widespread audience. Bravo and congratulations to every person involved in creating these stories and getting them ready to share with the public! Listen […]

Read our Summer 2022 Newsletter

Our summer newsletter is here! Featuring our Fall Take Back Event, new disposal boxes, new resources and more. Read our summer 2022 newsletter here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

New Resource: Pediatric Toolkit Available

We are excited to announce a new resource: Our Pediatric Surgical Pain Management Toolkit! This toolkit focuses on prevention of opioid-related complications in children and adolescents by intervening at the point many are first introduced to them: when acute pain is treated after surgery. Providers and parents can find best practices, free educational materials, and […]

3,300 Naloxone Rescue Kits Distributed

From March 2020 – May 2022, our partnership with MEDIC has distributed 3,300 naloxone rescue kits to patients in 22 emergency departments across the state of Michigan. The ‘Rescue Kits’ include gloves, a CPR face-shield, a naloxone education brochure, a county-specific pharmacy information card, and two doses of Narcan. The Naloxone Rescue Kits are distributed […]

Receive a FULLY-FUNDED medication disposal box from OPEN!

Grant funding opportunity available to support implementation of a permanent medication disposal box. Applicants will have the opportunity to select the disposal box that best meets their capacity and needs. Boxes, or kiosks, will be provided through American Rx Group and purchased for the awardee by OPEN. Only organizations in Michigan are eligible to apply. […]

Register now for the Summer of Addiction Summit!

Join Shatterproof on June 8 at 11:30am ET for the Stigma of Addiction Summit, a free, virtual, half-day symposium that will focus entirely on understanding, addressing, and eliminating the harmful impacts of stigma on people who use drugs and experience addiction. Register to attend: www.Shatterproof.org/StigmaSummit2022

Read our spring 2022 newsletter.

Our spring newsletter is here! Featuring our new website, spring medication take back events, new resources and more.   Click here to read the newsletter. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Addiction prevention: Opioid prescriptions after surgeries decline in Michigan, doctors say

One of our co-directors, Dr. Mark Bicket, spoke to WXYZ Detroit about declining opioid prescriptions after surgery and how over-the-counter medicines can be effective at managing post-operative pain. “Some of the medicines, people may even have in their prescription cabinet at home or can get over the counter. So, Tylenol, acetaminophen is one those. When […]

OPEN Partnered to Host Take Back Events in 32 Communities Around the State on April 30, 2022

Ann Arbor – On Saturday, April 30, Michigan residents in 16 counties had a chance to get opioids and other unused and expired prescription medications out of their medicine cabinets through 32 simultaneous events held around the state. The collective effort resulted in hundreds of families safely removing a total of over 2000 pounds of […]

Successful Medication Take Back Events held at 32 sites in April 2022

Congratulations to our 32 sites across Michigan on another successful medication Take Back Event this weekend! Thanks to you, residents in 16 counties were able to safely, easily and discreetly dispose of opioids on Saturday, April 30, 2022. For year-round disposal, please visit our digital disposal map.