Rite Aid Foundation, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation & Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro Partner to Launch Prescripti...
March 22 2018 - 7:30AM
Business Wire
Pittsburgh Initiative Part of a Three-Year,
$1.125 Million Commitment from The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents
Program
In an effort to help address adolescent drug abuse and misuse in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Rite Aid Foundation,
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, and Pennsylvania Attorney General
Josh Shapiro are teaming up to bring the Prescription Drug
Safety program, an innovative digital course about prescription
drug abuse prevention, to Pittsburgh-area high schools.
The program, developed by EVERFI, the nation’s leading
technology innovator used in one-in-seven schools nationwide, will
be made available to high schools in the greater Pittsburgh area at
no cost. Representatives of The Rite Aid Foundation, the Pittsburgh
Penguins Foundation and the Attorney General’s office will formally
announce the partnership today at 10:45 a.m. during a press
conference at Pittsburgh Brashear High School, located at 590 Crane
Ave., in Pittsburgh.
“Prescription drug abuse and misuse is a growing issue that
poses a serious threat to the health, safety and well-being of our
nation’s young people,” said Kermit Crawford, president and chief
operating officer of Rite Aid Corporation and president of The Rite
Aid Foundation. “The Rite Aid Foundation is proud to help introduce
this important prevention education initiative to high school
students so they can gain awareness and have the knowledge they
need to stay safe and prevent abuse before it occurs.”
In addition to the activation in Pittsburgh-area high schools,
as part of its commitment to creating safe and healthy environments
for children and teens, this year, The Rite Aid Foundation, through
its KidCents program, will also fund the introduction of the
Prescription Drug Safety program to high schools in the
Harrisburg/York/Lancaster/Lebanon and Wilkes Barre/Scranton markets
in Pennsylvania as well as several communities in Ohio, Washington
and Oregon. In all, The Rite Aid Foundation is making a three-year,
$1.125 million commitment to the Prescription Drug Safety
program.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is committed to ensuring our
young people have vibrant and healthy futures,” said Dave Soltesz,
president, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation. “Teaching students about
prescription drug abuse and providing them with skills to prevent
abuse before it occurs are critical components to advancing that
mission.”
“Eighty percent of heroin users begin their substance use by
abusing prescription drugs, so educating our children about the
dangers of drug abuse is critically important,” said Attorney
General Josh Shapiro. “I want to commend The Rite Aid Foundation,
the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, and EVERFI for bringing this
prevention curriculum to children and young people in our schools.
Fighting this epidemic is my top priority and I’m proud to partner
with you in this important effort.”
The Prescription Drug Safety program uses an
evidence-based, public health approach to empower high school
students with the skills and knowledge they need to make safe and
healthy decisions about prescription drugs. Through interactive
scenarios and self-guided activities, students learn the facts
about drugs, how to properly use and dispose of them, and how to
step in when faced with a situation involving misuse. The course is
aligned with the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health
Education Standards and state academic standards. There is also a
microsite with additional resources including parent guides and
information on local safe medication disposal.
The digital prescription drug abuse prevention course is the
flagship initiative of the Prescription Drug Safety Network,
the nation’s first public-private initiative to combat prescription
drug abuse by providing prevention education to schools. The Rite
Aid Foundation, Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and Attorney General
Shapiro are partners in the nationwide coalition, which is
committed to empowering Americans with the skills to make safe and
healthy decisions about prescription drug use for themselves, their
families, and their communities.
Since its inception in 2001, The Rite Aid Foundation has awarded
more than $36 million to non-profit organizations. Additionally,
Rite Aid, through the efforts of its customers, supplier partners
and associates, has also raised more than $87 million for
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals across the country since
1994.
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading
drugstore chains with fiscal 2017 annual revenues of $32.8 billion.
Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and
press releases, is available through the company's website at
www.riteaid.com.
Founded in 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is the 501c3
philanthropic hand of the Back-to-Back Stanley Cup Champion
Pittsburgh Penguins. With the belief that "Kids Are The Future,"
the Penguins Foundation focuses its efforts on making an impact on
the lives of the littlest fans of the Penguins team and
organization. Through programs related to the Penguins Foundation's
pillars of playing, growing, helping and learning, the Foundation
has been able to make countless assists to the community in just a
few short seasons including an overall contribution of $37 million
to charitable causes since 2010.
EVERFI, Inc. is the leading education technology company that
provides learners of all ages education for the real world, through
innovative and scalable digital learning. Founded in 2008, EVERFI
has certified over 16 million learners in critical skill areas with
more than 4,300 partners in all 50 U.S. States and Canada. EVERFI
is an industry convenor that builds Networks to tackle the toughest
social issues, including the Campus Prevention Network, a coalition
of higher education institutions committed to campus sexual assault
and alcohol abuse prevention; and the Financial Capability Network,
a coalition of industry leaders dedicated to improving financial
outcomes for communities across the country. Some of America’s
leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors
including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric
Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, TPG Growth, and The Rise
Fund.
The Pittsburgh Public School District is the largest of 43
school districts in Allegheny County and second largest in
Pennsylvania. The District serves approximately 24,000 students in
Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Pittsburgh’s public school
system is in the midst of its 2017-2022 Strategic Plan: Expect
Great Things, which sets forth four desired long-term outcomes,
four strategic themes and 19 initiatives to create a
student-centered culture built on continuous improvement. The
Pittsburgh Public Schools offers students a variety of options and
opportunities that will help them succeed in school, and prepare
them for whatever comes next college, career and life.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180322005581/en/
Rite AidAshley
Flower717-975-5718aflower@riteaid.comorPittsburgh Penguins
FoundationDave
Soltesz412-255-1939dsoltesz@pittsburghpenguinsfoundation.comorOffice
of Attorney General Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaJoe
Grace717-574-9095jgrace@attorneygeneral.gov
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