Pittsburgh Business Group on Health hosts panel on regional opioid crisis on news of surge in local deaths

Discussion coincides with May 23 Forum on prescription drug trends facing employers and communities; features experts on the front line of the opioid battle, impact on organizations

PITTSBURGH – May 18, 2017 – The Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH) is hosting a special panel discussion about the opioid crisis facing the Pittsburgh region and its impact on companies, families and communities, Tuesday, May 23, 8:30 a.m., during the PBGH Rx Solutions Forum at the Pittsburgh Marriott, downtown. Visit www.pbghpa.org for registration information.

The panel discussion, “Opioid Issues Impact Everyone,” will explore how different perspectives on the opioid epidemic can enlighten and inform strategies and decisions for companies and organizations.  Panelists will share a wide spectrum of thoughts and positions from trends, treatments, strategies and personal impact.

Panelists include Neil Capretto, medical director, Gateway Rehabilitation; Nancy Zionts, COO and chief program officer, Jewish Healthcare Foundation; Kathi Barton, director, benefits, The Kraft Heinz Company; Jason Snyder, special assistant to the secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services; and Deb Partsch, director of pharmacy, Innovu LLC.

The panel discussion is part of a broader event focused on trends and solutions aimed at managing pharmaceutical trends across the local market, and will also feature a presentation from Alan Lotvin, M.D., executive vice president, CVS Specialty, CVS Health, who will share, “Setting the Stage: The Evolving Health Care Market Space,” and Rob Andrews, CEO, Health Transformation Alliance, who will discuss health care solutions that consider quality at the core, Ultimately turns the industry into a more transparent, fairer marketplace focused on outcomes and incentivized by healthier patients.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and former Pittsburgh Steeler, Jerome Bettis, will also present at the Forum, “Championship Choices,” about how the decisions people make impact their lives.

Nationally, the opioid epidemic has claimed upwards of 180,000 lives in the last 10 years. Deaths in Allegheny County surged in 2016 to 613, a 44 percent increase over 2015, primarily because of fentanyl and heroin abuse.

 

About the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health

Founded in 1981, the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH) is a non-profit organization and is the region’s leading employer-led health care coalition. PBGH promotes health care and benefits strategies through education, collaboration and innovation among members and the community to deliver value and quality for organizations and their employees.