The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation today announced it is joining the
Prescription Drug Safety Network
, a nationwide coalition committed to empowering Americans with the skills to make safe and healthy decisions about prescription drug use for themselves, their families, and their communities.
"Our belief is that kids are the future, and we strive to not only give kids a vibrant and rewarding future, but to ensure that future is a healthy one," adds Dave Soltesz, President of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation. "Seventy-eight people die each day from opioid overdose, and another 20.8 have substance use disorder. This is a pandemic which needs immediate help, and our goal is to see that number decrease with each program taught."
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation Joins Prescription Drug Safety Network
The Prescription Drug Safety Network is the nation's first public-private initiative to combat the prescription drug abuse by providing prevention education to schools. Network partners include a diverse group of state leaders, healthcare companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacies, and foundations.
The flagship initiative of the Prescription Drug Safety Network is the launch of a new prescription drug abuse prevention course developed by EVERFI, the nation's leading technology innovator used in 1 in 7 schools nationwide. Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation has committed to providing this digital curriculum to select high schools across Allegheny County -- all at no cost to the schools.
"Prescription drug abuse has dealt a devastating blow to communities across the country, yet there are few initiatives aimed at positively preventing the abuse before it occurs," said EVERFI CEO Tom Davidson. "Through the Prescription Drug Safety Network, we are bringing together state officials, policy leaders, industry leaders, educators, and community organizations committed to combatting this scourge by investing in prevention education. Everyone needs to be at the table to help solve this crisis."
The digital learning experience 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.
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.
Learn more about The Prescription Drug Safety Network
here.
To find out more information about the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation regarding our mission, programs, events and news, please visit
www.pittsburghpenguinsfoundation.org
.
