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Training program available to recovering addicts
If you have a history of addiction recovery and want to help others, Penn State Shenango will host a Beaver campus Continuing Education course on “Certified Recovery Specialist Training” from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturdays, beginning Oct. 5 and ending Dec. 14, in Sharon Hall room 108 in downtown…
Examining state policies governing opioid use and pregnancy
Opioid use disorders during pregnancy have risen at alarming rates in the U.S. in recent years, increasing the risks of preterm labor and delivery, poor fetal growth, prolonged hospital stays, maternal death and stillborn infants. Maternal opioid use can also result in neonatal abstinence syndrome…
Resources to combat opioid epidemic available through new WPSU project
Trisha Stouch lost her daughter Pamela to a drug overdose almost 10 years ago, but Stouch remembers like yesterday the moment she realized her daughter’s need for opioids had taken over her life. A stay-at-home mom, frequent chaperone on school trips and softball coach, Stouch was an involved…
Penn State helps tackle opioid epidemic through consortium, public media project
The strategies being employed by Penn State to help combat the opioid epidemic were discussed today, Sept. 12, during an update to the Board of Trustees Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. Presentations were given about…
Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research dedicated
Substance abuse has been among the most serious health care challenges facing communities across Pennsylvania and the nation. As a strategic priority, Penn State is committed to combating substance abuse and as a result has established the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse. As part of the…
Marijuana may boost risky effects of drinking alcohol
As the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana use are both on the rise in the United States, people are not necessarily using alcohol less and may be unaware of the risks of combining alcohol and marijuana, according to researchers. A new study from Penn State found that compared to people…
Marijuana policies are changing, but they are not always based on scientific knowledge
By Diana H. Fishbein, Elizabeth Long and Sharon Kingston, opinion contributor for The Hill Misconceptions regarding marijuana distort perceptions about its hazards and benefits. While marijuana remains on schedule 1 of the federal Controlled Substances Act, a number of state-level laws are changing…
Course on addiction and recovery offered Fall 2019
An opportunity to obtain a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) certification, a Certified Family Recovery Specialist (CFRS) certification, or a better understanding of addiction and recovery, is available for Penn State students this fall. Curriculum & Instruction 497 is a 4-credit course that…
Studying implications of policy and law for treatment of substance use disorders
People who suffer from substance use disorder need effective treatments, however, 90 percent of those who need treatment do not receive it. One Penn State professor and his team are looking into the legal and financial barriers to treatment and how the law can be used to break down or build…
Collaboration brings 'Opioids: The Crisis Next Door' conference to Schuylkill
Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill, part of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, are teaming up to present the 2019 Wellness Conference, titled "Opioids: The Crisis Next Door." The conference will address the facts about the disease of addiction, the signs of opioid abuse,…
Penn State participates in Social Science Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.
Penn State researchers recently attended the Consortium of Social Science Association’s (COSSA) 2019 Social Science Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., taking part in a full schedule of events to bring awareness to social and behavioral sciences. During the advocacy day, COSSA members met with…
PROSPER conference convenes experts and youth to help prevent substance abuse
“We are now addressing a generation that could become addicted if they take a pill a few times. Prevention is critical,” said Steve Forzato, deputy chief of statewide drug initiatives for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, to the audience assembled May 14 at the Ruth Pike Auditorium for…
Opioid-exposed newborns may react to pain differently after birth
Babies exposed to opioids while their mothers were pregnant with them may need special care even before they start to experience withdrawal symptoms, according to Penn State research. Researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found that as soon as 24 and 48 hours after birth, babies who were…
$2.5M gift to create the Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research
Penn State Harrisburg has received a leadership gift of $2.5 million from the Douglas W. Pollock Foundation to establish the Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research on its campus. The center will address two areas of the substance abuse problem within the central Pennsylvania…
Share Your Opioid Story: A Community Conversation at Schlow Library on May 30
The Share Your Opioid Story initiative is hosting a Community Conversation at the Schlow Centre Region Library in State College to tell the stories behind the statistics of the opioid crisis. This community event will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 30 in the Downsbrough Community Room. To…
First annual conference to address substance misuse held at Penn State
Pennsylvania is in the midst of a full-fledged, substance misuse epidemic, with one out of every four families encountering this issue. Penn State is combating the crisis by drawing upon the expertise of researchers, educators, practitioners and policymakers, who gathered recently for the…
Report: Fentanyl scares some opioid users, but others seek it
Rich Lord Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Along the wide spectrum of opioid users, there are those who fear fentanyl and those who are its fans, according to a recently published study led by Penn State University researchers. Understanding the mindsets of both kinds of users may be a key to reducing the…
Digging Deeper: Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis has affected every state in some way, but Pennsylvania has been one of the hardest hit. In 2017 alone, overdose death reached almost 5600 people. Unlike previous drug epidemics, the opioid crisis has affected rural and urban areas alike and may parts of the state are…
Understanding opioid users' views on fentanyl could help reduce overdoses
Opioid users fear accidental overdoses from street drugs laced with fentanyl, but unpredictable drug quality means they often lack reliable strategies to avoid it, according to a team of researchers who suggest that fentanyl test strips may reduce overdose deaths. "The opioid crisis is one of the…
'Alexa, I’m in pain': Smart assistants could help combat opioid crisis
For patients suffering with chronic pain, relief could soon be found as close as their nearest smart assistant. Researchers at Penn State are developing a way to deliver on-demand, guided mindfulness practices via Amazon Alexa to patients experiencing chronic pain. Through their method, a smart…
Opioid epidemic may have cost U.S. governments $37.8 billion in tax revenue
The opioid epidemic may have cost U.S. state and federal governments up to $37.8 billion in lost tax revenue due to opioid-related employment loss, according to Penn State researchers. Additionally, the researchers found that Pennsylvania was one of the states with the most lost revenue, with…
Register Today for the CCSA Conference
There is still time to register for the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse's first annual conference, Envisioning a Future Free from Addiction: Research, Programs, and Practice to Prevent Substance Abuse, to be held Monday, April 29, on Penn State’s University Park campus at the Hetzel Union…
Preventing Teen Substance Abuse
While legislators and researchers work together to develop treatment options and solutions for the nationwide opioid crisis, community members, schools and caregivers have turned their focus to developing ways to protect future generations from substance abuse. To help build resilient families in…
Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse announces Community Fellows
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse recently announced the first three recipients of its Community Fellows Program awards. The program provides release time for faculty members to develop community collaborations and build sustainable, evidence-based or evidence-informed…