United States of Opioids

Author Harry Nelson has been on the front lines of behavioral health and medical advocacy for 2 decades. He is the leading healthcare legal expert in the country addressing the worsening problems in how we treat pain and addiction. His insights have earned the attention of lead policymakers and regulators at every federal agency touching the opioid crisis. He has been one of the few voices in the room with direct experience of where we are going wrong. Read The United States of Opioids to join his campaign to stop talking about and start doing something about out-of-control overdose death rates, addiction, and chronic pain. The United States of Opioids explains: •why coverage of greedy drug companies and doctors has been reductive, missing the real story, shortchanging the American public and impeding progress; •the structural roots of the crisis in multiple points of health system failure •why healthcare industry and government efforts will never be enough to tackle the crisis; •how grassroots action can force a new conversation about the parallel crisis of rising suicide rates •why the opioid crisis, including spiraling overdose death rates, will continue to worsen until we take on root causes, including rising rates of anxiety, social isolation, chronic stress, and despair •practical steps we can take to address the opioid crisis. The United States of Opioids tells the real story of what went wrong. It offers a roadmap out of the crisis that empowers and offers practical resources for people, families, employers, and communities to connect, prevent, and intervene in addiction, chronic pain and the rising death toll. Harry's call to action has resonated and is leading to new conversations across America, including: •how religious communities can play a pivotal role in taking on the opioid crisis •how employers and employees can re-imagine workplace wellness in ways that detoxify the American workplace and lead to healthier workforce, with less stress and anxiety at work •how all of us can rethink what wellness means in our own lives and social circles to become more self-aware, more conscious of hidden shame and judgment that fuels substance abuse, and agents of prevention and intervention •how parents and schools can rethink our approach to early and elementary education to raise a generation of more resilient kids who are less prone to the plague of distress and substance use infecting middle schools and teens across America •how people can share their addiction and recovery journeys to inspire others and make a difference in the opioid crisis

HARRY NELSON is a leading healthcare attorney, compliance expert, and adviser on regulatory and business strategy. Strong relationships with federal and state regulators across numerous healthcare sectors have enabled him to combines deep experience in crisis response and defense of investigations as well as developing leading-edge health regulatory business models. Harry is a problem-solver who has developed innovative and practical solutions to many industry challenges, with particular expertise in telehealth and behavioral health. He has played a key role in numerous healthcare innovation ventures, navigating and adapting to the transformations underway in healthcare. He chairs the board of Adaptive Health Capital and the Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP). He is the author of From ObamaCare to TrumpCare: Why You Should Care (2017). He serves as an expert witness, mediator, and arbitrator in health and life science-related disputes.

Opioid Overdose Deaths: Visualizing a Nation in Pain Foreword Introduction Initial Responses to a Staggering Opioid Crisis The History and Science of Opioids The Shift to a Regulated System of Opioids Is Pharma to Blame? How Our Health System Enabled the Opioid Crisis Deeper Roots of the Opioid Crisis Fixing Addiction Treatment Can Cannabis and Other Alternative Therapies Help Fight Opioid Addiction? The Roadmap for Healing a Broken System Reflections: Where Do We Go from Here? Glossary: Abbreviations and Terms Graphics and Data Resource Guide Fighting for Opioid Relief through Collaborative Effort #notanotherstat Acknowledgments About the Author Endnotes INDEX