Under the auspices of its collaboration with the South Carolina Medical Association and South Carolina Hospital Association in the Opioid Risk Prevention Partnership (ORPP), BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is launching a three-video series for social media titled Perspectives, on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The videos, which are titled Perspectives, are intended for social media and will post on the company’s Facebook page. 

The series offers perspectives on the opioid crisis from a first responder, a patient and a physician and will run through the end of September. The intent of the series is to connect with people through observation and personal storytelling, and reinforce for viewers the message that support is available and that people want to help.

According to Matthew Bartels, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer, the goal of ORPP is to advance the conversation among and between hospitals, physicians and other providers, patients and the general public around the issues of pain and the appropriate use of alternatives to opioids in pain management. 

“The first months of the ORPP’s efforts focused on supporting communications within the medical community. Materials were developed to give doctors and other medical experts’ tools to support a dialogue with patients about the risks of opioids,” Bartels said. “In addition, the ORPP developed an online continuing medical education training tool, which more than 184 physicians across the state have completed. It is available to physicians through the South Carolina Medical Association. The social media video series takes a different track, and is focused on communicating directly to BlueCross members and to the public.

“Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention** tell us that opioid addiction and death from opioid prescriptions remain a serious problem. The good news is that our most current data tells us that fewer new opioid prescriptions are being written in South Carolina. We hope that through this video series people will also hear the important message that they are not alone in their addiction, and do not have to go through the struggle of recovery alone. There are professionals who can help,” said Bartels.

Raising public awareness is what drew the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to participate in the series. “The opioid epidemic has destroyed families across the nation. That’s why partnerships like the ones Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department have are so important. Education is key to preventing this disease from taking hold of our community,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan members who are struggling with opioid use disorder issues are encouraged to speak to their providers or call the number on the back of their insurance cards. 

Non-members are encouraged to talk to their providers or go online to the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), the South Carolina government agency charged with coordinating a statewide system of local substance abuse agencies that provide prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

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*Prescription opioids were involved in more than 35 percent of all opioid-related deaths in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.