As part of ongoing efforts to address the opioid and addiction crises – a national issue that impacts every community in every state – the 11th annual Rx Summit will be held in person April 18-21 in Atlanta.

The Rx Summit is a global community of stakeholders who come together annually to share best practices and strategies for prevention, treatment, and recovery. The in-person format this year will allow professionals of multidisciplinary backgrounds to collaborate, cultivate change and create solutions.

Deaths due to drug overdose have topped 1 million for the first time since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data on the problem more than two decades ago. More than 101,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in June 2021, the largest number of drug overdoses for a 12-month period ever recorded.

“Reading the headlines about the current state of the opioid epidemic is sobering,” said Nancy Hale, President and CEO, Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc.), the educational advisor for Rx Summit. “More than a million too many lives have been lost since the start, and it is urgent that we work together to find solutions. These statistics are not just numbers, they reflect mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and friends and neighbors. Every number has a name.”

Educational Tracks

At the Rx Summit, audiences can engage in discussions on best strategies and tactics backed by data from proven programs across the country. Attendees can gain the practical knowledge in their fields to help combat this epidemic.

Highlights from the nine educational tracks offered include:

  • Advocacy – A Movement to End Addiction Stigma: Background, Implementation, and 1-Year Outcomes of the Collaborative Life Unites Us Stigma Reduction Campaign Utilizing the Shatterproof Strategy
  • Clinical – Findings From Respond to Prevent: A Four-State Study to Improve Provision of Naloxone, Buprenorphine, and Nonprescription Syringes in Community Pharmacies
  • Illicit Drugs – CReDO: Community Response to Drug Overdoses 
  • Prevention – Overdose – HEALing Communities Study: Deploying Evidence-Based Practices to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths Through Community Engagement and Partnerships
  • Prevention – Primary – Breaking the Generational Cycle of Drug Use: Substance Use Prevention for School-Aged Children
  • Public Safety – Integrative Justice: A Healthcare Approach to Treatment Courts
  • Technology – Expanding During Shutdown: Virtually Delivering Substance Use Disorder Services to Rural Communities
  • Treatment & Recovery – Stronger Together: Combining Medication for Opioid Use Disorders With 12-Step Recovery Support to Achieve 5-Year Recovery
  • Trending Topics – Opioid Settlement: Guidance to Community Policymakers

In addition, the Rx Summit features a dynamic lineup of keynote speakers, faculty, and other ground-breaking leaders in their fields, including:

  • Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
  • Dr. Rahul Gupta, MD, MPH, MBA, FACP, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
  • Dr. Nora Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • Patrick M. Shannon, JD, MPH, Tribal Court Chief Judge, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Court of Michigan
  • Kathryn Burgum, First Lady of North Dakota
  • Traci C. Green, PhD, MSc, Professor and Director, Brandeis Opioid Policy Research Collaborative
  • Dr. Robert L. Dupont, MD, President, Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc.
  • Gary Mendell, MBA, Founder & CEO, Shatterproof
  • Monty Burks, PhD, MCJ, CPRS, Director of Faith-Based Initiatives, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
  • Jennifer S. Smith, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

Notable speakers in past years have included President Joe Biden in 2021, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in 2019, President Bill Clinton in 2018, and President Barack Obama in 2016.

“The work done at the Rx Summit since it began in 2012 has never been as important as it is this year, when overdoses are occurring at record rates,” said Doug Edwards, Senior Vice President at HMP Global and Director of the Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network. “Our nation needs healing and the Rx Summit is where it all begins. It is the annual opportunity for strategic partnerships to come to fruition so that we can promote education, improve treatment, and support law enforcement. It is where solutions are formulated and change begins.”

The Rx Summit is the largest annual gathering of professionals combatting the opioid and addiction crises. Participants and attendees include counselors, social workers, therapists, psychologists, and interventionists; physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists; advocates, families and people in recovery; law enforcement and other first responders; and public health and prevention professionals.

To ensure that attendees can access all sessions, the Rx Summit is offering the Maximum Access Package which includes on-demand access to session recordings for three months. With this package, attendees can virtually attend every session taking place at the Rx Summit and replay the recordings as many times as they like.

Registration is now open. For agendas, sponsorship information or to register, visit the event website. Rates (including the Maximum Access Package) are available here.

About HMP Global

HMP Global is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical — and is an omnichannel leader in healthcare content, events, and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events – in person and online via its proprietary VRTX virtual platform – and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include the HMP Global Learning Network, healthcare’s most comprehensive source for news and information; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; the Evolution of Psychotherapy, the world’s largest independent educational event for mental health professionals; the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC), the leading, global gathering for interdisciplinary cardiovascular specialists; EMS World Expo, North America’s largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.