MPH Program Hosts Public Health Grand Rounds on Opioid Epidemic

Eastern Washington University’s Master of Public Health program has partnered with the Washington State Department of Health and Spokane Regional Health District to present a series of presentations highlighting salient public health issues in the state of Washington. These presentations are held on the last Friday of every month from 4-5 p.m. and are held in the Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Science Building Room 101 (Walgreens Auditorium) at the Spokane campus. The presentations will also broadcast for those who cannot join in person.

The first in the series was presented on August 31, 2018 and addressed the state’s opioid crisis. Kathy Lofy, MD, State Health Officer and Chief Science Officer for the Washington State Department of Health, was one of the speakers at the presentation. Joining Kathy Lofy was Matthew Layton, MD, PhD, FACP, DFAPA, Clinical Professor for the Department of Medical Education and Clinical Sciences and Medical Director for the Program of Excellence in Addictions Research. The speakers discussed how deaths from drug overdoses are the number one cause of injury death in the United States and how most of these deaths are related to the misuse of prescription opioids. Kathy Lofy and Matthew Layton then answered audience questions about the clinical and community impacts of opioid abuse and misuse and how the state’s response is impacting the crisis.

Students, faculty, health professionals, and the community at large are the audience for the Public Health Grand Rounds, but all are invited to participate. With each monthly presentation, the hope is to feature the important work that is being done to protect and inform people and improve the quality of life for the community. Attendees will learn about major public health issues, key challenges, evidence-based practice, potential solutions, and the context that influences our health every day. Future topics include behavioral health integration, maternal mortality, clinical workforce shortages, drinking water innovation, aging in rural areas, firearm injury and violence, and Medicaid transformation. See you on September 28 for the next Public Health Grand Rounds!