Bethlehem, Pa., May 2, 2016—As part of academic nursing’s ongoing efforts to combat prescription drug and opioid abuse across the United States, Moravian College is proud to announce that it has committed to educating its advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.

The commitment was featured in a White House fact sheet last week as part of the White House Champions of Change event on Advancing Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Earlier in April, the Administration asked the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) member schools with APRN programs to partner on this initiative. Moravian College recognizes that opioid abuse is a pressing public health crisis, and it is critical that APRN students receive education on current standards.

Last week, AACN’s President and CEO Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, shared remarks at White House to recognize the 191 AACN member nursing schools that have taken this pledge.

“AACN is proud of the rapid response by our membership when the Administration called to help ensure future generations of providers who prescribe opioids for chronic pain are prepared for the critical work ahead,” said Dr. Trautman. “We commend academic nursing’s dedication to ensuring our nation’s future providers are prepared to address opioid abuse and overdose using best practices.”

Dr. Kerry H. Cheever, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Nursing and Public Health at Moravian College stated:  "Moravian College's Nursing and Public Health programs have a proud legacy of upholding the highest standards of ethical, evidence-based practices aimed at improving the health of individuals, families, and communities.  Endorsing AACN's pledge to ensure that our Nurse Practitioner students engage in combating opioid abuse and overdose is certainly consonant with our mission."

Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For over 274 years, the Moravian College degree has been based on a liberal arts curriculum where literature, history, cultural values and global issues, ethics, and aesthetic expression and the social sciences are infused with multidisciplinary perspectives. Visit www.moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College liberal arts curriculum prepares its students for life-long success.