The numbers are staggering. More than 2.5 million adults in the U.S. are struggling with addiction to opioid drugs, including prescription painkillers and heroin. Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 33,000 deaths in 2015 – nearly as many as traffic fatalities. And almost all were preventable.

“No one should be dying from an overdose, because we have things we can do in the setting of an overdose to save someone's life. We have treatment that we know reduces the death toll, and helps people get into long–term remission to lead meaningful lives,” said Sarah Wakeman, Harvard Medical School assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, in the welcome and introduction to Harvard Medical School’s new online course, “OpioidX: The Opioid Crisis in America.”

Launched on March 27, OpioidX is one of the first free, comprehensive educational programs on the opioid epidemic designed for all audiences.

The course is part of a broad commitment by HMS to provide accessible, online learning resources for both lay and professional audiences around the world; such programs include HMX, which provides courses on fundamental scientific concepts for learners interested in or beginning careers in healthcare, and HMS Global Academy, which provides medical professionals with courses on a variety of topics, including opioid use disorder, for continuing medical education credit.

“OpioidX gives actionable health information to any individual who is interested in or struggling with opioid misuse or addiction, whether in their homes, workplaces or communities,” said Catherine Finn, deputy editor of Harvard Health Publications, which produced and published the course through HarvardX.

OpioidX fills a gap in public opioid education and supports individual and community efforts to address opioid addiction across the U.S., course producers said. The course is designed to provide a well–rounded, evidence–based view of the opioid crisis and to challenge preconceptions about who can become addicted to opioids with the goal of reducing the stigma that exists around opioid addiction, treatment and recovery.

Emphasis is placed on actionable knowledge, such as how learners can prevent an opioid overdose death and how they can get involved in their communities to help people gain access to life–saving medications for prevention and treatment. For example, learners are taught the signs of opioid overdose and how to administer naloxone, a medication which can halt an overdose in minutes.

The course features a narrative–focused, video–based curriculum led by a broad range of experts, including HMS addiction specialists and public health and policy experts, as well as perspectives from HMS–affiliated hospital pharmacists, law enforcement agents and individuals in recovery from opioid addiction. Discussion forums, moderated by HMS medical students, provide additional channels for learners to share personal insights and experiences with each other.