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AUSTIN, Texas, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and other leading nursing organizations announced today a new educational series to combat opioid abuse, encourage safe prescribing practices, and ensure patients with pain still maintain access to necessary pain relief.  The educational commitment brings together the leading nursing organizations serving the profession, including AANP, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American Nurses Association, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.  

Participating organizations will educate nursing faculty, students, and clinicians across the continuum of APRN education and training about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain. News of this commitment will be shared at a White House event.  

"Our joint commitment reaffirms AANP's dedication to promoting evidence-based standards for opioid abuse prevention and education, while recognizing the need for patients suffering from chronic and acute pain to access essential pain care," said AANP President Cindy Cooke.

The updated CDC guidelines augment NPs' existing requirements for advanced education on opioid prescription. As part of its commitment, AANP is providing more than 30 hours of continuing education through the AANP CE Center, a live webinar, and two dedicated pain management tracks at its national and specialty conferences for nurse practitioners in 2016.  

Today's announcement is linked to the White House Champions of Change event, which will highlight ten individuals who have made a difference in advancing prevention, treatment, and recovery. AANP will be participating in today's proceedings. 

More than 2.1 million in the US are struggling with substance abuse related to opioid pain medicine, and thousands of Americans have lost their lives to prescription drug abuse.  The current crisis demands aggressive action by all stakeholders, and America's nurse practitioners and other Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are answering the call.  

American Association of Nurse Practitioners
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of more than 205,000 NPs, including more than 68,000 individual members and 200 organizations, providing a unified networking platform and advocating for their role as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered and personalized health care. The organization provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers.  For more information, visit www.aanp.org. To locate a nurse practitioner in your area, visit www.npfinder.com.

Media Contacts:
Marichelli Hughes or Will Rijksen
SevenTwenty Strategies
marichelli.hughes@720strategies.com  
will.rijksen@720strategies.com 
202-715-3906

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners