(Forbes) -- The opioid crisis is a slow-moving, mass-casualty event that has become one of the worst public health disasters in American history.
As a healthcare attorney, Nelson has spent the past two decades responding to overdose deaths and solving problems related to pain prescribing and addiction treatment.
The United States of Opioids offers fresh insights into how the health system needs to adapt in order to address the crisis effectively, including tools for patients and families in navigating challenges around addiction, chronic pain, and underlying challenges, such as isolation, stress, and anxiety.
“Before we can solve the opioid crisis, we all need to understand it—not just policy wonks, doctors, and law enforcement, but also educators, employers, parents and peers,” Nelson explained. “We have work to do to empower people to be part of the work ahead of us.
Nelson’s book provides a healthcare insider perspective that focuses not only on understanding the problem but moving the discussion towards practical solutions.
Nelson makes the case that the real answer to the crisis comes not in the form of top-down solutions from Washington, D.C., but in grassroots efforts to end the culture of shame around pain, addiction, and opioid use.
The central question of The United States of Opioids is “How can we truly liberate a nation in pain?” To this end, Nelson’s book offers meaningful and concrete steps for people to take, as well as guidance on how to transition from being passive bystanders of the crisis to active agents of change.
About the Author
Harry Nelson has become one of America’s foremost healthcare lawyers. The firm he founded, Nelson Hardiman, has won national recognition for its culture and ground-breaking work in healthcare and life sciences. In addition to co-authoring the 2017 book, From ObamaCare to Trumpcare: Why You Should Care, Nelson has gained recognition as a leading expert on the future of U.S. behavioral health. He chairs the board of the Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP), a national education and advocacy organization with over 30,000 subscribers that works to advance standards to improve the quality and safety of addiction treatment and behavioral health. State and federal policymakers and regulators regularly consult Harry for input and guidance on addressing opioid-related, addiction treatment, and other industry challenges.
