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On June 20, 2024, UnitedHealth Group issued a press release offering an update on the Change Healthcare cybersecurity incident that occurred on Feb. 21, 2024. While the investigation to determine whose data is impacted is not yet complete, UnitedHealth Group has started the process to notify impacted customers and shared a website that provides additional information. UnitedHealth Group continues to offer credit monitoring and identity protection services, as well as a dedicated contact center to address questions. You can learn more about the support resources by visiting Change Healthcare Cyberattack Support and/or by reaching out to the contact center at 1-866-262-5342 with any questions. 

How PA Health & Wellness is Addressing the Opiod Epidemic

Date: 04/17/19

America has a public health crisis. The opioid epidemic was first recognized as a national emergency in summer of 2017. Opioids can be prescription pain pills, but also include illegal substances like heroin. The crisis began in the late 1990s when opioid pain relievers were prescribed at high rates. This was done despite warnings the drugs may be highly addictive.

The crisis has hurt communities across the country. There are currently over 2.1 million Americans suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD). The crisis hits close to home, too. Pittsburgh and the Southwestern Pennsylvania area is at the center of the opioid epidemic. In 2016, over 3,900 Pennsylvanians died from an overdose. This is considerably higher than the national average.

Beyond addiction, opioid use has led to an increased spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C. The damage caused by the epidemic will be hard to repair. Our communities need help as they try to heal. At PA Health & Wellness, our goal is to transform the health of the community. That’s why we’re working to increase awareness across the state.

One way we’re uplifting our communities is through informative programs. These initiatives are designed to spread information about the danger of opioids. These include programs like OpiEnd, a national poster contest for middle school students. Students learn about the dangers of opioids and then they are encouraged to spread that knowledge through art.

Another way we spread information is through a series of free workshops for health care providers. These trainings are led by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The course includes both online and in-person training. Online training takes four hours at their own pace. The in-person trainings are four hours and interactive. These workshops qualify attendees to prescribe buprenorphine, a powerful at-home therapy to treat OUD.

At PA Health & Wellness, we know firsthand how the opioid epidemic is affecting our community. Many of our friends, family members and loved ones have been affected by the crisis. We want to do what we can to help. We believe information is power, and by empowering our communities, we’re helping to create change one person at a time.

We’re committed to making a change in our communities. If you’d like to learn more about membership, please call PA Health & Wellness at 1-844-626-6813 (TTY 1-844-349-8916) for more information. If you’d like more details about our professional workshops, please click here to learn more.