Press Release: Behavioral Health Association of Providers Chair Harry Nelson Issues Opioid Crisis Call to Action

March 27, 2019

Harry Nelson Releases New Book, "The United States of Opioids", with ForbesBooks

ForbesBooks announces the release of its latest title: The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain (available now). The book is written by Harry Nelson, founder of Nelson Hardiman, the largest healthcare law firm in Los Angeles, and the chair of Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP).

The opioid crisis is a slow-moving, mass-casualty event that has become one of the worst public health disasters in American history. As a healthcare attorney, Nelson has spent the past two decades responding to overdose deaths and solving problems related to pain prescribing and addiction treatment. The United States of Opioids offers fresh insights into how the health system needs to adapt in order to address the crisis effectively, including tools for patients and families in navigating challenges around addiction, chronic pain, and underlying challenges, such as isolation, stress, and anxiety.

"Before we can solve the opioid crisis, we all need to understand it —- not just policy wonks, doctors, and law enforcement, but also educators, employers, parents and peers," Nelson explained. "We have work to do to empower people to be part of the work ahead of us."

Nelson's book provides a healthcare insider perspective that focuses not only on understanding the problem, but moves the discussion towards practical solutions. Nelson makes the case that the real answer to the crisis comes not in the form of top-down solutions from Washington, D.C., but in grassroots efforts to end the culture of shame around pain, addiction, and opioid use.

The central question of The United States of Opioids is "How can we truly liberate a nation in pain?" To this end, Nelson's book offers meaningful and concrete steps for people to take, as well as guidance on how to transition from being passive bystanders of the crisis to active agents of change.

See the Forbes press release here.

About Behavioral Health Association of Providers

Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP) is a national trade membership association that provides education and advocacy for behavioral healthcare providers and related entities.

Forged from a passion for behavioral healthcare service providers unable to absorb the high costs related to legal consultation, BHAP was founded in March 2016 to help small and mid-market healthcare providers access compliance resources and legal education to help their agencies thrive.