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Information for healthcare professionals

Information for healthcare professionals

Prescribe Safe resources for healthcare professionals, including guidelines, referrals, patient handouts, publications, resources for pharmacists and dentists, and videos.

Resources for Clinicians and Clinical Guidelines

FDA news releases

FDA requires strong warnings for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepine labeling related to serious risks and death from combined use (August 31, 2016)
New safety measures announced for opioid analgesics, prescription opioid cough products, and benzodiazepines (August 31, 2016)

Substance abuse and pain management referrals

Alcohol and drug counseling and treatment - Monterey and Salinas (PDF)
Pain management options - Monterey and Salinas (PDF)
Complementary medicine (PDF)
Telemedicine addiction services - Bright Heart Health

Patient handouts

ER - Safe prescribing information for patients - English (PDF)
ER - Safe prescribing information for patients - Spanish (PDF)
Ambulatory care – Safe medicine prescribing - English (PDF)
Safe medication disposal sites - Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties - English (PDF)
Safe medication disposal sites - Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties - Spanish (PDF)
Patient handout - Hazards of opiates - English (PDF)
Patient handout - Hazards of opiates - Spanish (PDF)
Patient handout - Why am I getting a prescription for Naloxone? - English (PDF)
Patient Handout - Why am I getting a prescription for Naloxone? - Spanish (PDF)
Rx pain medications. Know the options. Get the facts. - Multiple downloadable handouts for patients from SAMSHA designed to increase awareness of the risks associated with prescription opioid use and misuse.
Pain relief tools for patients and self-care
The American Chronic Pain Association - A website dedicated to providing information and resources for patients with chronic pain
Going to the ER? A guide to going to the ER for patients with chronic pain
Patient handout on breaking the stigma against opioid use disorder
Patient handout on breaking the stigma against substance use disorder
Patient handout: Opioid Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) - how to reduce the risk of harm from opioids (PDF)

Other resources

Scope of the problem (PDF)
Free CME and pain management education/strategies
Pain pill dangers: Avoid deadly addictions (Video)
Recovery Brands.com
Rx Safe Marin
Safe Med LA - Safe prescribing guidelines and resources
San Diego safe prescribing
Scope of pain
Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition
The Medicine Abuse Project
Turn the Tide RX
National Safety Council report on the opioid crisis (PDF)
A letter for providers from the CA Dept of Public Health regarding prescribing opiates (PDF)
Grand Rounds, September 17, 2014: Treating pain, prescribing safely - The difficult cases
- Video
- Powerpoint slides (PDF)
- AHA: Toolkit for addressing the opiate epidemic (PDF)
The Empathy Effect: Countering Bias to Improve Health Outcomes - Education on how to avoid burnout and maintain empathy for patients
The American Chronic Pain Association - A website dedicated to providing information and resources for patients with chronic pain

Resources for pharmacists

Resources for dentists

Informational videos

Helpful links

Overview of Prescribe Safe

Prescribing more safely

Prescribe Safe

More and more people were coming to our Emergency department seeking pain medications or, worse, after an overdose. Our doctors knew something had to be done. The result: Prescribe Safe, a countywide effort that's taking on the opioid epidemic.

Read article

Drug disposal bins

We now have medication drop off bins at Community Hospital.

Medication bin locations - English

Medication bin locations - Spanish