On Overdose Awareness Day, Congressman Mike Coffman visited the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and joined Chancellor Elliman and the Colorado Consortium on Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention for an event highlighting the state’s response to the opioid crisis. The panel brought together campus leadership, community members, and organizations invested in fighting the battle against prescription drug abuse.  Participants discussed efforts currently underway – to reduce inappropriate use of prescription drugs, collect unused drugs and make naloxone more widely available to treat overdose, and create more opportunities for treatment for those who are addicted. 

Afterwards, the Congressman and attendees at the event received a training on how to use naloxone in an emergency to reverse an overdose from Rob Valuck, professor and director of the Consortium. Karen Hill of the JP Prescription Drug Awareness Foundation spoke about losing her son, J.P., to an overdose and their efforts to honor his memory by helping others understand the risks of accidental prescription drug overdose. Other participants in the panel included Joe Frank, MD, Assistant Professor at CU School of Medicine; Greg Fabisiak, Environmental Integration Coordinator at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Rourke Weaver, Director of Red Rock Recovery Center joined the Congressman for this important discussion.

A short video of the event from the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy is available here. 

International Overdose Awareness Day takes place on August 31st each year, and provides an opportunity to highlight education and prevention measures. 

Dr. Joseph Frank, CU School of Medicine; Chancellor Don Elliman, CU Anschutz Medical Campus, Greg Fabisiak, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; Karen Hill, Dr. Robert Valuck, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Congressman Mike Coffman

Office of Government Relations