Harry Nelson’s New Book: ‘The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for  Liberating a Nation in Pain’ Offers Grassroot Solutions

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.—(February 12, 2019) Attorney Harry Nelson, a leading expert on America’s healthcare future, a Forbes author, and an international educator on advancing standards in addiction treatment, has pledged to donate $1-million from the online profits of his soon-to-be-released new book, The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain, to charities across America in 2019, according to Nelson.

Proceeds will be initially donated to Young People in Recovery, The National Alliance for Recovery Residences, and the Behavioral Health Providers Foundation.

With a powerful foreword by singer-songwriter Lisa Maria Presley, Elvis Presley’s daughter, and former wife of Michael Jackson, Presley says, “Harry has provided not just a must-read account of the story of the opioid crisis, but essential tools that all of us can use to prevent more harm and intervene in the lives of everyone around us who needs help.”

As the leading healthcare legal expert in California on this issue, Nelson’s perspective in the book on how to deal with the opioid crisis was inspired by numerous calls he’s received over the years from doctors who have sought and continue to seek his advice and counsel—those doctors who have prescribed opioids to his/her celebrity clients; many of whom have overdosed and/or died from them. Celebrities who have succumbed to overdoses, where Nelson has conferred with the prescribing doctor include Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, Whitney Houston, Tom Petty, Prince, and many others.

Doctors worried about prescribing practices and standards in addiction treatment and medical care often turn to Nelson due to his vast experience. As the opioid crisis continues to turn overdoses and suicides into daily occurrences, Nelson has turned one safety disaster after another into teachable moments which have spawned safer and better care among the addicted. Nelson’s work—both his findings and his remedies—have earned him an enviable reputation with respect and confidence from federal and state regulators.

“For two decades, I have heard the legal system beg for changes from the healthcare provider community,” states Nelson, “However, we continue to count overdose after overdose. It is now my passion to take this problem out of the courtroom and into the international community so we can join together worldwide to solve this problem. With that, Nelson vows to donate every dime of every book sold to the worthy causes that lend their support and fight against this crisis.

It has been reported that one in five adults in America: 50-million people live with chronic pain. This statistic overlaps in part with one that states there are 20-million Americans (one in 12 adults) who struggle with substance abuse disorders.  “Combine chronic pain and addiction with troubling social conditions, and it results in a slow-moving mass casualty event,” asserts Nelson. “One that has now become the single, most pervasive public health disaster in American history.

Nelson’s book addresses the country’s archaic approach to pain management and addiction, the failed solutions, and alternatives to date, and the state of the national response to the crisis.

Harry Nelson is the founder and chairman of the Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP), a national education and advocacy organization. BHAP is the product of Nelson’s keen interest in advancing quality and safety standards in substance abuse treatment. He frequently consults with federal and state agencies, health care industry stakeholders, and policymakers sharing his expertise on how to navigate the complexities of opioid-related and other addiction treatment compliances.

Nelson is available for both on-air and print interviews upon request to comment on how to shake up the rules of the healthcare game.

Readers can weigh in by using the hashtag #notanotherstat and order the book at www.notanotherstat.com where they will see their contribution on the virtual donation wall.

Press Release