The Opioid Crisis and the African American Population

Course overview

The current opioid epidemic is one of the largest drug epidemics recorded in U.S. history. In 2017, the opioid epidemic in the U.S. has declared a national public health emergency due to the amount of related overdose deaths involving opioids and the increasing number of individuals with an opioid use disorder (OUD). As a result, health care professionals should be familiar with information related to the current opioid epidemic and how it relates to minority populations such as Black/African Americans. With that in mind, this course reviews the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' brief, entitled The Opioid Crisis and the Population: An Urgent Issue, to build awareness among health care professionals and to promote the administration of safe and effective health care to patients in need.