On June 6, 2017, EmergeOrtho joined Novant Health, the North Carolina Medical Board and South East Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) in sponsoring a continuing education seminar titled: Safe Opioid Prescribing and Complementary Therapies for Pain Management. The event, held at The Terraces on Sir Tyler in Wilmington, hosted more than 150 physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants from a diverse range of specialties.
Opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions nationwide, and many are shocked to learn that a 2016 national study singled out Wilmington, North Carolina as the worst city in America for opioid abuse. But the issue isn’t isolated along our beautiful coast.
North Carolina saw more than nine million prescriptions for controlled substances written in 2016.
With a statewide population of just over 10 million, North Carolina saw more than nine million prescriptions for controlled substances written in 2016. Inappropriate and/or excessive prescribing of controlled substances, including opioid painkillers, has been a top regulatory priority for the North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB) for more than a decade.
Barbara Walker, DO and Ann Quinlan-Colwell, PhD, AHNC, RN-BC were the seminar presenters. Dr. Walker is a contracted family physician with NHRMC and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army. Ms. Quinlan-Colwell is a clinical nurse specialist in pain management at NHRMC, an adjunct faculty at UNCW, and a nationally recognized consultant in pain management.
A statewide leader in orthopedic and pain management care, EmergeOrtho was proud to sponsor this important educational initiative to address this urgent medical problem.
