Opioids: Hidden Dangers, New Hope

With a background in hospice care, Mary Sundeen has seen opioids used appropriately as a tool for helping those at the end of life pass peacefully and without pain. But it's the diversion and misuse of prescription drugs that moved her to action. Now as the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at DisposeRx, Mary has a strong message for our podcast. A message about site of use disposal the environmental impact of diverted drugs and how thinking as a society must evolve if we are to end the opioid crisis. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/mary-sundeen-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Jessica Nickel is the President and CEO of Addiction Policy Forum. From the earliest years of her life she's been impacted by drug abuse and has made it her mission to advocate for the families of those who have had the same experience. Her refreshingly candid approach to public policy and the science of addiction has put her in the spotlight - a position she hopes to use to bring families together and carve a new pathway forward on how we view addiction. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/jessica-nickel-addiction-policy-forum/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

If asked to conjure up an image of a pharmacist most people would envision a friendly medical expert in a white lab coat answering questions about prescriptions. And while the drug stores of yesteryear may have been replaced in many areas by big chains pharmacists themselves still hover near the top in the Gallup polling company's list of the most honest and ethical of professionals. Bob Verscharen is the Executive Vice President of Commercial Development at DisposeRx. He's also uniquely qualified to address the roll of the Pharmacist in the opioid crisis. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/robert-verscharen-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

At just 27 years old Rick Werner's son Jamie found himself at the intersection of bipolar disorder and drug addiction. Now, Rick tells Jamie's story and speaks of the legacy he hopes will be left by his son who loved life, and died much too young. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/rick-werner-jamie-werner-legacy/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

From a humble modest kitchen in Potomac, Maryland Dr. Ed Rudnic and four friends developed the chemical compounds that would one day be called DisposeRx. Dr. Rudnic joins us for a trip back to that kitchen and answers the burning question: What exactly are crosslinking copolymers? The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/ed-rudnic-phd-inventor/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

The Drug Enforcement Agency is the federal law enforcement entity tasked with combatting drug trafficking. The DEA has sole responsibility for pursuing illegal drug operations in the U.S. and abroad. Bob Bianchi is the President and Chief of Scientific and Technical Affairs at the Prescription Drug Research Center. Formerly with the DEA, he brings a unique perspective to the opioid crisis in America. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/robert-bianchi-president-pdrc/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Addiction. Crime. Overdose and death. In the wake of the opioid crisis these are the topics you've seen splashed across the headlines all over the country. but there's another headline below the fold one that you may not hear scream from the cable outlets or see plastered on the internet websites. It's the toll that the over prescribing of prescription drugs is having on our environment. Co-founder of DisposeRx, Dennis Wiggins, sat down to discuss some surprising statistics and to talk about how dire the situation has become in this world that we all share. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/dennis-wiggins-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

As the Director and President of DisposeRx William Simpson is passionate about his product. He's also passionate about his team, about preventing addiction, and about educating people on the simplest ways to dispose of their medications. He sat down to share his passion and to talk about a certain kind of medication that people don't often think of as being dangerous. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/william-simpson-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

From her years practicing pain management and anathesiology to her current position at the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Vanila Singh has experienced the opioid crisis from many angles. She's a doctor, a teacher, and a policy advisor who has seen chronic pain face to face. She joins us to talk not only about the current administration's strong stance on the opioid crisis but also about how we got here. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/dr-vanila-singh/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

John Holaday, Chairman and CEO of DisposeRX, on how a simple change in behavior at home can break the cycle of opioid addiction and death that begins in the home medicine cabinet. “Our passion is to both, educate and legislate. On the education side, letting people understand that they’ve got to change behaviors. They’ve got to look in their medicine cabinet and get rid of these leftover opioids. We have a product that does that called, DisposeRx. . . it changes behavior. Our solution is a site of use solution. That is, at home. You don’t get in your car, you just take your drugs out of the medicine cabinet. Add . . a small amount of powder about the same amount as you’d find in a pack of sugar . . . add the water . . .shake it up in that prescription vial and within a minute or two, the drugs are dissolving and . . . become immersed in a gel from which they cannot be easily diverted or abused. And in which, they biodegrade overtime, so that they won’t pollute landfills.”

The opioid crisis is an epidemic with many faces. To a member of the law enforcement community, opioids are dangerous substances to be managed and controlled. To the parent who's lost a child to addiction opioids are a gateway drug that can lead to a lifetime of loss and regret. But to those in pain management, opioids are necessary tools to help hurting patients at a time when little else can. Dr. David Casarett is the Chief Medical Officer at DisposeRx. As a professional with years of experience helping his patients manage pain, he brings a unique perspective to our conversation about the opioid crisis, and we start at the beginning. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/david-casarett-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

The sheer number of children being caught up in this country's opioid crisis is shocking. But let's look beyond the statistics. Each and every one of them was a child with hopes and dreams, talents and ambitions. The loss of one son or daughter can leave an indelible mark on their community, and more importantly on their families. To lose one is an absolute tragedy. Becky Savage lost two of her children to the opioid crisis. She shared her story with this podcast and explained how the tremendous loss lead to the development of a foundation dedicated to finding solutions to the opioid crisis. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/becky-savage-525-foundation/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Richard Hudson is serving his third term in the United States Congress, representing North Carolina's eighth congressional district. On Capitol Hill, Hudson serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, a position he uses to focus on reforming healthcare. In particular, Congressman Hudson is working to address the opioid crisis, in a comprehensive way. It's something he believes that legislators on both sides of the aisle can agree upon. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/congressman-richard-hudson/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

For most Americans wearing a safety belt in the car is now second nature, but that was not always the case. In the 1960s concern about road safety and traffic fatalities prompted the U.S. government to study the effects of seatbelt usage. By 1965 every state in the union had a law requiring front seat belt usage but it took more than legislation to change the public's behavior. In fact by 1982 only 11% of drivers used seat belts but things changed.Powerful, sometimes shocking, occasionally even humorous commercials flooded the airwaves in a public service campaign that changed people's thinking about wearing seat belts. It worked. In 2016 the national highway traffic safety administration reports that the national seat belt usage rate is over 90%. I recently spoke with Ann Hamiln of DisposeRx about the opioid crisis and about how the public should view the issue of drug disposal. She believes “We have to look at disposing of your medication like we look at wearing your seatbelt.” The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/ann-hamlin-disposerx/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Lisa Mortier is a Capitol Hill veteran on a mission. As a federal Lobbyist for DisposeRx she walks the corridors of power in Washington with a simple message - drug disposal is key to solving the opioid crisis. Everyday on Capitol Hill, she encourages Members of Congress to consider legislation that deals with the issue of disposal of opioids - employing her years of experience, her extensive understanding of policy matters and the heart of a mom. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/lisa-mortier-lobbyist/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

In today's busy corporate culture it's easy for an email to slip through the cracks. But in the case of Leidos employee John Hindman and the company's CEO Roger Krone one email had a huge impact. But, let's back up, we will begin with a story about John's son Sean, whose life was lost to opioid addiction. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/john-hindman/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Few people have devoted as much time to studying the origins of the opioid crisis as Barry Meier. As the author of "Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic", Meier initially explored this as a reporter for the New York Times. His book came out in 2003. Still some 15 years later he found there was much more to the story. This led Meier to revisit his work and update more than a decade of developments in a riveting rewrite.The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/barry-meier/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

This is a story of Missy Owen and her son, Davis. Though tragic, it is a story far too common in a country that finds itself in the grip of an opioid epidemic. Brian Wilson spoke with Missy, co-Founder and CEO of the Davis Direction Foundation, about her son and discovered a unique perspective on our society's shared challenge on this issue. The entire transcript for this podcast can be found on our website here: https://opioids-hiddendangers-newhope.com/missy-owen/ This podcast is underwritten by DisposeRx.com

Concerned about the Opioid Crisis? Veteran radio show host Brian Wilson addresses the complex issues of prescription abuse head on and provides a 360 degree view of the problems surrounding the Nation’s #1 killer. Wilson knows first hand the devastation caused by the opioid crisis having reported on his own Nashville Mayor Megan Barry who lost a son to opioid addiction. In each of the 15 minute episodes, Wilson tells the story of the opioid epidemic as seen through the eyes of those directly impacted including: the siblings and parents of overdose victims, social workers, law enforcement officers, doctors who prescribe the medicines, government officials and even a writer who has been covering the story for over 20 years. This podcast is a public service to bring information into the homes and to educate those concerned parents, teachers and pharmacists who are seeking to know more about the opioid problem and solutions.