Harvard Professor and Physician to Discuss Personal Addiction to Opioids Palm Beach County Medical Society Services

 

When detectives showed up at the medical practice of Peter Grinspoon, M.D. to charge him with fraudulently obtaining controlled substances, he finally faced his addiction.  In his book, Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction, Dr. Grinspoon details how he went from a Harvard-educated M.D. with a thriving practice, two great kids, a gorgeous wife, and status as a pillar of his community to an “addict”  fueled on a daily boatload of meds he prescribed to himself.

 

Attendees at the Palm Beach County Medical Society Services’ Opioid Educational Series will meet Dr. Grinspoon and learn details about this harrowing journey.   Recovered from his opiate addiction, he is now a national leader on the issue of physician health. Hear more about his story in this podcast, facilitated by PBCMS Members Drs. Brent Schillinger and Abbey Strauss, Peter Grinspoon, MD His Addiction and Recovery.

 

The online webinar is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

 

 

 

ABOUT DR. GRINSPOON

Peter Grinspoon, M.D. currently is a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, an instructor at Harvard Medical School and a certified Health and Wellness Coach. He is a board member of the advocacy group Doctors for Cannabis Regulation and a contributing editor to Harvard Health Publications. He spent two years as an Associate Director of the Massachusetts Physician Health Service helping physicians with addiction and mental health issues. 

 

He graduated with honors in philosophy from Swarthmore College. Before medical school, he spent five years as a Campaign Director at Greenpeace, working on the nuclear free seas campaign. He attended medical school at Boston University School of Medicine. His internship and residency were in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His story has been featured on such national media outlets as NBC Nightly News, C-Span NPR, The Washington Post, People Magazine and USA Today.

 

THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, ALTHOUGH DIRECTED AT PHYSICIANS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE WORKERS.

 

ABOUT PALM BEACH COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY SERIVCES

The nonprofit arm of the Medical Society provides and coordinates continuing medical education for physicians and allied health professionals. PBCMS Services also works to inform and educate the public about health care issues, strives to find ways to improve patient access to health care, and collects and studies information on the health care delivery system.

 

The overarching goal of the Opioid Healthcare Response program is to reduce opioid deaths in Palm Beach County through an evidenced-based comprehensive strategy that recognizes addiction as a medical illness. The key elements of the initiative are prevention, treatment, rescue and recovery, all tied to specific outcome metrics.

 

For more information, visit https://www.pbcms.org/opioid-addiction-treatment-resources.