Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Canadian Web Hosting donates $5,000 to Union Gospel Mission

Canadian Web Hosting donates $5,000 to Union Gospel Mission

It was losing a family member to drug abuse that inspired Tony Chu, CEO of Canadianwebhosting.com, to donate $5,000 on behalf of his company to Union Gospel Mission. While his family member is now gone, Chu's vision is to help others who are up against similar challenges rise above their current predicament.

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) March 3, 2009 -- It was losing a family member to drug abuse that inspired Tony Chu, CEO of Canadianwebhosting.com (www.Canadianwebhosting.com), to donate $5,000 on behalf of his company to Union Gospel Mission. While his family member is now gone, Chu's vision is to help others who are up against similar challenges rise above their current predicament.

"I understand what our homeless brothers and sisters go through day after day," explains Chu. "That is why we have chosen Union Gospel Mission as our charity of choice. I wish to thank UGM for their dedication and hard work as they help people get back on their feet and rebuild their lives."

In addition to emergency and prevention assistance, UGM has alcohol recovery programs for both men (in Vancouver) and women (in Mission).

Founded in 1998, Canadianwebhosting.com (www.Canadianwebhosting.com) is a privately-held web hosting company focusing on customer care. Canadianwebhosting.com provides 24/7/365 support through Toll-free telephone, email and live online chat. The company is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Union Gospel Mission has been reaching hungry, hurting and homeless men, women, youth and children for nearly 70 years. Through its 12 locations in Metro Vancouver and the city of Mission, UGM provides counseling, education, safe housing, and alcohol and drug recovery to those struggling with poverty, homelessness and addiction.

To find out how to make a difference in the lives of people affected by homelessness, poverty and addiction in Metro Vancouver visit Union Gospel Mission's website www.ugm.ca.

Media Contact:

Tony Chu

1-888-821-7888

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Contact Information Tony Chu

Canadianwebhosting.com

http://www.Canadianwebhosting.com

1-888-821-7888



Monday, March 2, 2009

Problem Gambling Takes the Spotlight in Florida

Problem Gambling Takes the Spotlight in Florida

While most people enjoy gambling as a recreational activity, there are over 1 million Floridians who have sustained significant financial, social, and emotional devastation at the hands of problem gambling. In support of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG), Governor Charlie Christ has proclaimed March 1 - 7 Problem Gambling Awareness Week in Florida.

Tallahassee, FL -- While most people enjoy gambling as a recreational activity, there are over 1 million Floridians who have sustained significant financial, social, and emotional devastation at the hands of problem gambling. In support of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG), Governor Charlie Christ has proclaimed March 1 - 7 Problem Gambling Awareness Week in Florida.

Lights On Problem Gambling is a movement developed by the FCCG to raise awareness about the effects of pathological (commonly referred to as compulsive) gambling. The objective is to shine the light on that which is referred to as the "hidden disease" to reveal the signs and underlying issues manifesting from a gambling addiction. This year's focus is crime.

"Over one third of problem gamblers who call the 888-ADMIT-IT, 24 hour gambling HelpLine, are involved in illegal activities - mostly out of desperation to pay debt due to gambling and fund future bets," states Pat Fowler, Executive Director of the FCCG. "The impact on crime is significant."

Prevalence studies show that adult problem gamblers are four times more likely to have been arrested as non-problem gamblers. The most common criminal offenses committed by compulsive gamblers are writing bad checks, forgery, fraud, embezzlement, theft, sale of drugs, and burglary.

"Whether directly or indirectly, this issue touches us all," warns Fowler. "It is essential that we all take part in spreading the word about problem gambling, its impacts, and ways to get help. That's what we are doing with Lights On Problem Gambling."

The Governor, Mayors, the gaming industry and other businesses, state and local agencies, and media partners throughout the state are among those standing with the FCCG in this effort to inform the public and assist people who have difficulty with gambling.

"The FCCG is grateful for the support of all of the media and all of our partners in this initiative in dedicating their resources to disseminate the message throughout the entire state," expresses Fowler.

In addition to public service announcements, and a dedicated web site, and statewide distribution of collateral materials, the FCCG will have a mobile billboard display in front of the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee on Monday, March 2nd and Friday, March 6th. The public can participate in the movement by visiting www.lightsonproblemgambling.com to educate themselves on the issue, calling the 24-hour (HelpLine 888-ADMIT-IT) on behalf of a friend or family member with a possible gambling problem, and passing along messages to others via email or other social marketing tools such as Facebook and Myspace.

Since 1988, the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling (FCCG) has been committed to providing services and support to victims of problem gambling, and increasing public awareness. For more information, call 888-ADMIT-IT or visit www.lightsonproblemgambling.com.

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Contact Information Pat Fowler

The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling

http://www.gamblinghelp.org

407-865-6200



FDA Meeting on Opioid REMS Highlights the Need for Comprehensive, Integrated Risk Management

FDA Meeting on Opioid REMS Highlights the Need for Comprehensive, Integrated Risk Management

Inflexxion is uniquely positioned to assist companies with risk evaluation and mitigation strategy plans

Newton, MA (PRWEB) March 2, 2009 -- On Tuesday, March 3rd, the FDA will meet with manufacturers of extended-release (ER) opioid medications for what's expected to be the beginning of a process to develop a new Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. According to the Agency, strategies for minimizing the risks of opioid medications -- which have included FDA-required risk minimization and action plans, or RiskMAPs -- need to be strengthened.

"Despite [the efforts of the FDA, drug manufacturers, and other stakeholders, the rates of misuse and abuse, and of accidental overdose of opioids, have risen over the past decade," states the Agency in a media release announcing the meeting. Crafting a new REMS program, the Agency says, will entail "discussions with other federal agencies and non-government institutions, including patient and consumer advocates, representatives of the pain and addiction treatment communities, other health care professionals, and other interested parties."

Inflexxion, a company that is deeply engaged with the pain and addiction treatment communities, is uniquely prepared to assist manufacturers, federal agencies, and other stakeholders with creating a comprehensive REMS. In 2001, the company's pharmaceutical risk-management division launched development of the National Addictions Vigilance Intervention and Prevention Program (NAVIPPRO) with support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Now a nationally recognized public health-oriented substance risk management solution, NAVIPPRO integrates the four key components of an effective REMS: national, "real-time," product-specific surveillance; signal detection; signal verification; and empirically validated prevention and intervention programs.

"One of the key elements distinguishing REMS from RiskMAPs is the requirement for ongoing evaluation of the efficacy of a program, both by the FDA and the sponsor of the drug, so adjustments can be made to ensure that risk-mitigation goals are being met," says Kevin Zacharoff, M.D., Director of Medical Affairs at Inflexxion. "NAVIPPRO is designed to assist with this type of long-term, continuous evaluation."

In a recent study of NAVIPPRO data published in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (December 2008, Volume 17, Issue 12), the authors evaluated the surveillance component of the program. Analyzing NAVIPPRO's proprietary, "real-time" data stream, de-identified client assessment data continuously collected from the ASI-MV® Connect network of substance abuse clinics across the U.S., they examined the representativeness, geographic coverage, and timeliness of report of the data. They found that the data allow for the characterization of product-specific and geo-spatial differences for drug abuse, and can serve as a tool for monitoring the responses of the treatment center population to particular drug formulations.

According to Zacharoff, the findings show that NAVIPPRO data can be useful for measuring, in "real time," the relative rate of abuse of a particular drug in a vulnerable population, and in a specific geographic area of the country. "These data can help detect early signals of an emerging trend of abuse, which in turn allows for targeted prevention and intervention efforts, and for gauging the impact of those initiatives," he says.

To address the need for prevention and intervention, Inflexxion has incorporated into NAVIPPRO its award-winning, empirically validated educational programs. These programs include PainEDU.org, a comprehensive pain education website for health care professionals with nearly 20,000 subscribed clinicians of varying disciplines. As part of its educational offerings, PainEDU provides clinicians with access to clinically tested practice tools, such as the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP®).

Developed by Inflexxion, SOAPP is a brief, pen-and-paper self-report tool that enables health care providers to assess a patient's risk of addiction before initiating opioid therapy. It can be used in concert with the Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM)®, a complementary tool for identifying whether a patient, throughout the course of long-term opioid therapy, may be exhibiting aberrant behaviors associated with abuse of opioid medications.

The utility of SOAPP and COMM were recently highlighted in new guidelines by the American Pain Society and the American Academy of Pain Medicine on the use of opioid medications to treat chronic non-cancer pain. The guidelines, published in the February 2009 issue of The Journal of Pain (Volume 10, Number 2), recommend that clinicians routinely conduct a complete benefit-to-harm evaluation before starting opioid therapy, and do periodic follow-up screenings of patients who may be at risk for abuse or addiction.

"In the past, drug sponsors and consultants worked individually on programs designed to minimize risk in a hit-or-miss fashion, with very little modification of the initiatives based on outcomes. I believe that the FDA hopes that this new REMS development process will provide an opportunity for these groups to come together, working more closely to ensure that patients are treated appropriately, based on collected data, with the best medications available, and the highest level of safety and vigilance," says Zacharoff. "We at Inflexxion are committed to assisting all stakeholders - including the manufacturers, the FDA, and health care providers - in successfully navigating these issues and together improving the risk-benefit balance of opioid medications."

To learn more about NAVIPPRO, visit the website (www.navippro.com).

About Inflexxion, Inc.

Founded in 1989, Inflexxion creates innovative, award-winning behavioral health solutions for prevention, education, and disease management. Our grant-funded, clinically tested programs address substance abuse and addiction, chronic pain management, and other health and wellness issues. Our pharmaceutical risk management division provides Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) assistance to companies that research, manufacture, and market opioid pain medications and other therapeutic agents with potential abuse problems. Key offerings include NAVIPPROTM, ASI-MV® Connect, PainEDU.org, painACTION.com, and SOAPP®. Inflexxion is based in Newton, MA.

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Contact Information Amanda Hemm

Inflexxion, Inc.

http://www.NAVIPPRO.com

617-614-0436