Harnessing the Internet to Combat Youth Substance Abuse
TRI and Unyos join forces to address the escalating issues of web content and drug abuse.
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) August 3, 2009
The Treatment Research Institute (TRI) and Unyos, a Maryland-based software developer, announced today they will collaboratively develop a software platform to help parents, professionals and others address the danger of teenage access to rogue Internet pharmacies.
Due for release September 2009 at www. websafeparent. com, the novel TRI/Unyos website will offer a mix of downloadable, science-based information, other multi-media resources, and an on-line community network, to help concerned parents, patients and professionals understand and manage the dangers that Internet access to prescription drugs poses to cyber-savvy teen-agers and young adults. The resource will build upon "WebSafe," an existing TRI training for parents based on its own research into Internet pharmacies, where "no questions asked" purchase of dangerous prescription drugs - some just as lethal as heroin and other street drugs - is commonly available.
"Drug addiction is a major problem of our society. It destroys human potential and community and has led to an overburdened criminal justice system. We are excited by the opportunity to help TRI address this misunderstood health care problem and continue the shift to prevention and treatment." stated Mr. Carey Kriz, the CEO of Unyos. "We were looking for a partner to help us explore how the Internet could be used to enhance social communication and support in health care, and TRI, with its experience with WebSafe and more generally the addiction community, stood out as best-of-breed".
Constance Pechura, Ph. D., TRI Executive Director, applauded the potential of the alliance to propel dissemination of science-based information, particularly to parents. "TRI conducts some of the best addiction research in the nation and is committed to increasing the impact of our findings by communicating them as broadly as possible. Unyos understands how to use modern technology to rapidly disseminate targeted information," Pechura said. "The TRI/Unyos collaboration has the potential to extend the reach of our discoveries to the very people who need but otherwise might not get them," she said.
As part of the alliance, Unyos will bundle its secure collaboration platform with TRI-reviewed content to establish a single web destination helping parents and other individuals and organizations create a defensive and protective strategy against unacceptable drug content from the Internet. Their new web site will include a mixture of downloadable software and is designed to become the leading destination for help in managing damaging Internet content.
For more information, contact Mr. Larry Jones at Unyos at 1-301-641-8334, or Bonnie Catone, TRI Director of Communications.
TRI is an independent, non-profit research and development organization dedicated to science-driven transformation of addiction policy and treatment. TRI conducts original research and adapts scientific findings into products and services helping treatment providers, policy makers and parents. For more information, visit the TRI website at www. tresearch. org.
Unyos is a Maryland-based L. L.C. focused on the design, development and implementation of interactive content communities. With a board headed by Mr. Clarence Chandran (former Nortel COO), and a management team directed by Mr. Kriz (former Johns Hopkins/IBM executive), Unyos is committed to helping create a new model of communication and data sharing within the Internet and health care. The founders and leadership of Unyos bring decades of experience and leadership in the technology, communications and health care industries.
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