HMP Global’s 2025 Rx Summit confronts urgent U.S. opioid and overdose public health emergency

Held in partnership with Operation UNITE, annual event brings together stakeholders at all levels to forge solutions to this devastating crisis.

MALVERN, PA, UNITED STATES, March 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Following the renewal this week of the national Opioid Public Health Emergency Declaration, HMP Global’s 2025 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit will unite key stakeholders in this fight from the local, state, and federal levels, forging collaborative solutions and driving meaningful change.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced a renewal of the 2017 emergency declaration addressing the devastating opioid crisis, reinforcing the administration’s focus on opioid misuse and overdose deaths as an urgent public health emergency. Set for April 21-24 in Nashville, Rx Summit brings together thousands of stakeholders “from federal to family” working to combat opioid misuse, with an educational program aimed at shaping the future of addiction treatment and recovery.

Rx Summit is held annually in partnership with Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc.), a Kentucky-based nonprofit striving to prevent drug misuse and facilitate recovery through strategic partnerships, education, leadership, treatment, and support for law enforcement. The 2025 Rx Summit will deliver a wide range of sessions spanning seven specialized tracks: clinical, public safety, prevention, trending topics, advocacy, illicit drugs, and recovery supports.

“Creating change and shaping futures in addiction recovery starts here,” said Doug Edwards, Senior Vice President, Behavioral Health, HMP Education. “With more than a million lives lost to the opioid crisis, Rx Summit is crucial in bringing together the decision-makers and allied professionals who are ready to make an impact. It’s where ideas become action.”

As Rx Summit enters its 14th year, its mission has never been more urgent, he said: “Together, we can turn the tide and ensure no more lives are lost to this epidemic.”

Educational Program
The 2025 program includes 65 sessions led by more than 100 expert faculty presenters, as well as regional discussion groups and focused topic tracks for deeper insights. Sessions touch on emerging drug trends, prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery supports.

NFL greats Kyle Richardson, Billy Davis and Rolf Benirschke are among this year’s featured speakers. Richardson, Davis, and Benirschke serve as spokesmen for the NFL’s Alumni Association Health Initiative (NFLAH) in its mission to amplify critical health issues. Super Bowl winners Richardson and Davis are co-directors of healthcare initiatives for NFLAH, and NFL Man of the Year Benirschke is co-founder of Legacy Health Strategies.

Also new to the faculty are:

- U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee;
- Attorney General Russell Coleman of Kentucky;
- Lt. Col Jonathon J. Wesely, Counterdrug Coordinator of the Kentucky National Guard;
- Eric Nation, Executive Director of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children;
- Professional motorcycle racer Dan Kruger; and
- Award-winning country recording artist Jimmy Wayne, a former foster child who works in support of at-risk youth.

Returning experts include U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky; U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health; and Debra Hembree Lambert, JD, Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. Notable speakers in past years have included President Joe Biden, President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, President Barack Obama, and President Bill Clinton.

Conference Highlights
Sharing their addiction and recovery stories are 11 Hope Ambassadors, highlighting the inspiring stories from those in recovery and the individuals who have supported others on their recovery journeys.

Also of note:
• National Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day will be observed on April 23, launched by the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC).
• Live music during plenaries will be performed by Music Neighbors of Nashville, a local organization that supports musicians in their pursuit of equal opportunities and resources.
• Shine for Recovery Day will be observed on April 22, and attendees are encouraged to wear sparkly attire to show support for those on their recovery journey.
• Session recordings and training for CME credits required by the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act are also available.

For more information and to register, visit hmpglobalevents.com/rx-summit/rates.

About HMP Global
HMP Global is the omnichannel market leader in healthcare events, education, and insight — with a mission to improve patient care. For 40 years, the company has built trusted brands including Psych Congress, the premier source for mental health education, and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. HMP Global partners with leading experts around the world to deliver more than 450 annual events, medical strategy, and marketing for pharmaceutical and medical device customers through HMP Collective, and pharmaceutical market insight, engaging a global community of healthcare stakeholders that includes nearly 2 million clinicians across 600 medical specialties as well as managed care, behavioral health, senior living, emergency medical, and pharmaceutical commercialization professionals. For more information, follow HMP Global on LinkedIn or visit hmpglobal.com.

Sandi Beason, APR
HMP Global
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