In an effort to help combat teen drug abuse and misuse in Oregon
state, The Rite Aid Foundation is bringing
the Prescription Drug Safety program, an
innovative digital course about prescription drug abuse prevention,
to Portland-area high schools.
The program, developed by EVERFI, the nation’s
leading education technology innovator used in one in seven schools
nationwide, will be made available to high schools
in Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties at no
cost. Representatives of The Rite Aid Foundation, U.S.
Representative Earl Blumenauer and Centennial School District
officials announced the launch of the new program today during a
press conference and demonstration at Centennial High School.
“The rise of prescription drug misuse and abuse is one of the
fastest-growing drug problems in the United States, and it’s having
an adverse effect on the physical and mental health of our nation’s
young people,” said Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid
Foundation and charitable giving initiatives. “We are proud to
bring this important prevention program to Oregon students to
educate them on the risks of prescription drug misuse and abuse and
help combat this growing epidemic.”
According to an Oregon state audit completed in December 2018 by
Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, Oregon ranks sixth for teen
opioid drug use. This misuse or abuse of prescription drugs can
lead to abuse of illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
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 and
Prevention’s National Health Education Standards and state academic
standards.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon has one of the
highest rates of prescription opioids misuse in the nation.
Additionally, on average, five Oregonians die from opioid overdoses
every week. While prescription opioid overdoses are declining,
opioid overdose hospitalizations have slightly increased.
“The opioid crisis continues to harm communities large and small
across America,” said U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03),
a member of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health. “Every
day that we delay addressing this epidemic, communities decline,
families unravel, and lives are lost. We need to help our children
understand prescription drug abuse and misuse in order to prevent
it before it starts.”
Centennial High School is implementing the six-lesson
online Prescription Drug Safety program as part of
the health education program. Centennial is one of the
first Portland-area schools to integrate the program into
its curriculum. Over the next year, at least 20 high schools in the
area are expected to launch the program.
“Educating our students must include addressing the challenges
and real-world issues they face in their daily lives as members of
our community, including prescription drug abuse and misuse,” said
Dr. Paul Coakley, superintendent of Centennial Public Schools.
“This innovative, new program will enable us to prepare our
students to make smart, healthy decisions about prescription drugs
and empower them to be part of the solution to combatting this
epidemic.”
In addition to the activation in Portland-area high
schools, as part of its commitment to creating safe and healthy
environments for children and teens, The Rite Aid Foundation,
through its KidCents program, will also fund the introduction of
the Prescription Drug Safety program to high
schools in Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Washington and Ohio.
In all, The Rite Aid Foundation made a $1.7 million commitment to
the Prescription Drug Safety program, which is
expected to reach more than 400 high schools.
Through the KidCents program, members of Rite Aid's loyalty
program, wellness+ rewards, can round up their in-store or
online purchases to the nearest dollar and donate their change to
KidCents. Members can also choose to direct their change to a
specific KidCents charity by visiting www.kidcents.com. Through
KidCents’ Step Up Fund, The Rite Aid Foundation provides a matching
donation of $500 for every $500 a charity raises in contributions
through the wellness+ rewards program, up to a maximum of
$5,000. For more information, visit www.kidcents.com.
Since its inception in 2001, The Rite Aid Foundation has awarded
more than $52 million to nonprofit organizations. Additionally,
Rite Aid, through the efforts of its customers, supplier partners
and associates, has also raised more than $92 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 2018 annual revenues of $21.5 billion.
Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and
press releases, is available through the company's website
at www.riteaid.com.
The Centennial School District builds authentic relationships
with our diverse community that equitably engages and honors all
voices. We intentionally implement rigorous, culturally relevant,
and evidence-based practices to cultivate academic excellence for
each student.
EVERFI is the leading education technology innovator that
provides learners of all ages education for the real world through
scalable digital learning platforms. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is
fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model and
has certified over 25 million learners with more than 3,500
partners across 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. EVERFI is
an industry convener that builds Networks that tackle the toughest
social issues. These Networks include the Prescription Drug Safety
Network, Campus Prevention Network, and the Financial Capability
Network. 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, The Rise Fund, Advance Publications, Rethink
Education and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit
www.everfi.com or follow us
on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
or Twitter @EVERFI.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190405005252/en/
MEDIA:Rite AidChris
Savarese717-975-5718Christopher.Savarese@riteaid.com
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