Newswise — Neptune, NJ – February 12, 2014 – Jersey Shore University Medical Center was recently awarded an American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation Healthy Living Grant to educate youth about prescription medication safety.
Jersey Shore received the grant to launch an educational prescription medication safety and misuse campaign directed at high school students and their parents. The grant will help promote education to high school students about prescription medication safety and the dangers of misusing these drugs.
In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that prescription drug misuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. A national survey released this year found that prescription drug abuse among youth has increased 33 percent over the past five years. This is the third year that the AMA Foundation has awarded grants to support prescription medication safety through its Healthy Living Grant Program.
According to Steven Kairys, M.D. MPH, chair of Pediatrics at Jersey Shore and co-medical director of K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, "Prescription drug abuse continues to rise, but support from the Healthy Living Grant enables us to provide valuable education and awareness programs targeted to reducing the misuse of prescription medications in high school students. We are confident this grant will help make a real difference in the lives of teens and in our community.”
About the AMA Foundation: The AMA Foundation, a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization, is dedicated to advancing public health and medical scholarship through philanthropic support of physician-directed initiatives. This program was funded by an unrestricted grant from Purdue Pharma L.P. through its RxSafety Matters Campaign, which connects health care professionals, families, communities, and law enforcement officials with programs focused on fighting prescription medication abuse and theft. Learn more about RxSafety Matters at www.rxsafetymatters.com.
About K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center: K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center is the first and most comprehensive provider of pediatric care in Monmouth and Ocean counties. At the heart of Meridian Pediatric Network, the hospital includes a pediatric emergency department and acute care units supported by over 100 pediatric sub-specialists working together with community pediatricians to deliver the most complete, most coordinated care for kids in our communities. Whether it’s complex surgery or treatment for a chronic condition, the team of physicians, nurses and caregivers at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital treats each child as one of their own in a friendly and convenient setting, close to home. For more information about K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, call 1-800-DOCTORS, or visit www.khovnanianchildrenshospital.com.
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