The nation is embroiled in an epidemic that, while not contagious, impacts all sectors of society and devastates communities, especially rural communities. Opioid misuse, including abuse of prescription pain killers and heroin, led to more than 33,000 deaths nationwide in 2016 and nearly 2,000 deaths in Illinois during that same year. And these statistics, counted in lives, continue to rise at alarming rates.

National, state, and local governmental bodies fight to stem the tide of this rampant killer. Law enforcement officials, courts, attorneys, and social agencies are caught in the web of this very human disaster and its tragic consequences. Hospitals, physicians, and health care providers struggle daily to care for patients, between managing patient pain and restricting prescription opioids, while simultaneously averting actions that feed addiction and protecting their professional credentials from scrutiny.

To aid in identifying both the issues and the solutions, the 2018 Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH)-Southern Illinois University (SIU) Health Policy Institute seeks to provide an informative and engaging dialogue aimed at striking the right balance and bringing to bear effective solutions to the opioid epidemic impacting our country and our communities.

REGISTER ONLINE BY MAY 11. Register and learn more at http://bit.ly/2018healthpolicyinstitute.