***One of Only Two Gold Telly’s Awarded in WV in the Last Two Years***
UPDATED June 2, 2020—The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, Inc. (WV DII) at the University of Charleston and Murphy Media, Inc. (Huntington, WV) have received a Gold Telly Award for their public service announcement designed to educate and reach college students about the importance of medication safety. The PSA features UC pharmacy and pre-pharmacy students. The award is one of only two Gold Telly’s awarded in West Virginia in the last two years.
Entitled, “The Good News for College Students” the video is showcased at: https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2020/non-broadcast/general-pharmaceuticals. The film’s content encourages college students to utilize other tools to effectively manage their studies besides sharing prescription medications—including stimulants—and directs them to resources at www.generationrx.org.
Generation Rx is a nationwide program aimed to share information and resources about prescription drug safety for persons of all ages. Created by the Ohio State University School of Pharmacy and supported by the American Pharmacists Association and the Cardinal Health Foundation, Generation Rx was adopted by the WV DII as one of their signature outreach programs.
“In a State hit hard by the opioid epidemic and national statistics indicating increased misuse of both stimulants and pain medications, it’s important to know that most college-age students do not abuse or misuse prescription medication,” explained Dr. Susan Bissett, president of the WV DII. “We want these students to know that they are the norm and not the exception; and the Telly Award further validates the importance of this message not only in West Virginia but nationwide.”
The video PSA is available for college campuses throughout West Virginia to share in their residence halls, on websites and other mediums by contacting the WV DII via email, susanbissett@dii.ucwv.edu.
The annual Telly awards are the world’s largest honor for video and television content across all screens. The awards recognize excellence in marketing and film. Each year over 13,000 entries are judged by members of the Telly Awards Judging Council, a group of over 200+ working in the industry who have previously won the Telly Awards highest accolade and as such, have demonstrable expertise in the categories they review. Previous winners have included HBO, Conde Nast, BBC, CNN, Velocity, along with International work from the likes of Al Jazeera, FJ Amsterdam, and Christie’s Auction House (United Kingdom).
Murphy received another Gold Telly (a second) for another commercial-related project, but believes a commitment to the community is important. “Using strategies learned from working for pharmaceutical companies, Murphy Media was able to flip the ‘script’ using these techniques to promote the importance of medication safety,” explained Joe Murphy, CEO of Murphy Media. “It was an honor to receive our first Gold Telly and we are even more excited that the award went to one of our biggest outreach initiatives in the state of West Virginia.”
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About the WV DII The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (WV DII) at the University of Charleston is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The mission of the WV DII is to reduce deaths in West Virginia from opioid and drug abuse by being (a) an independent advocate for life-enhancing drug policies, and practices, (b) a hub for coordinating drug response activities, and (c) an educational center to address the prevalence of drug abuse and the stigma of drug addiction. The Institute is housed at the University of Charleston in West Virginia’s state capital and is designed to: identify and assess best practices through research and data analysis, provide education programs on prescription drug safety, collaborate with municipalities and agencies to promote best practices to prevent overdose deaths, advocate for policies that promote educational and employment opportunities for those in recovery, and identify and implement prevention strategies.
The Institute has partnered with Murphy Media, Inc. to deliver prevention programming and messaging to students pre-K through 20 throughout the state of West Virginia.
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