ACCORDINGTOTHEU.S.CENTERSFORDISEASECONTROL andPrevention,morethan135millionAmericans visit emergency departments (EDs) annually, for help with everything from traumatic accidents to headaches. Regardless of etiology, pain and discomfort are the most common presentations in the ED, but all pain is not created equal, and decisions regarding how to treat it are coming under increasing scrutiny in the face of a raging, nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse. In Colorado, opioid-related fatalities have become more common than deaths from alcohol-re- lated traffic accidents and have continued to rise over the past five years. While Colorado’s opioid prescribing rates are below the national average (about 53 versus 59 prescriptions per WRITTEN BY JEANNE MC ADARA, PHD WRITTEN BY JEANNE MC ADARA, PHD 100 persons in 2017, respectively), many of 100 persons in 2017, respectively), many of Colorado’s counties have some of the highest Colorado’s counties have some of the highest opioid prescribing rates in the United States, opioid prescribing rates in the United States, with some generating prescription volumes in with some generating prescription volumes in excess of one per member of its population. excess of one per member of its population. “Aside from a few bad actors in so-called pill mills, “Aside from a few bad actors in so-called pill mills, physicians for the most part just want to alleviate physicians for the most part just want to alleviate pain and suffering. And to the extent that physi- pain and suffering. And to the extent that physi- cians are people like everyone else, we see the cians are people like everyone else, we see the news, and how things have ramped up over the news, and how things have ramped up over the years, and we have started looking at our own years, and we have started looking at our own role in this crisis.” That’s according to Heidi Wald MD, MSPH, cur- That’s according to Heidi Wald MD, MSPH, cur- rently the Chief Quality and Safety Officer for SCL rently the Chief Quality and Safety Officer for SCL Health, a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare orga- Health, a faith-based, nonprofit healthcare orga- nization headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. nization headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. 21 2019-2020 / / BIOSCIENCECOLORADO