Rotary Action Group Addiction Prevention North America Announces Collaboration With Oar Health To Tackle America's Deadliest Addiction Crisis: Alcohol Use

Oar Health will help Rotary Action Group Addiction Prevention North America (RAGAPNA) educate thousands of Rotarians on medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD), then connect Americans to FDA-approved medication

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rotary Action Group Addiction Prevention North America (RAGAPNA) today announced a collaboration with Oar Health, a telehealth platform offering medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD), including FDA-approved naltrexone. Together, RAGAPNA and Oar Health will deliver training that equips Rotarians across the U.S. to educate their communities about MAUD, then connect the people they reach to safe, effective FDA-approved medications.

Excessive drinking kills 178,000 Americans every year, more than three times as many as opioid overdoses, according to the CDC. Medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) are a proven, effective treatment, yet they remain dramatically underused and little known, even though the FDA approved naltrexone for alcohol treatment more than 30 years ago. Use has nearly quadrupled since 2019, driven partially by Oar Health, but there is still a long way to go. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, just 1.1 million Americans received MAUD in 2025, fewer than 5% of the 25 million living with alcohol use disorder.

"Alcohol is quietly taking far more lives than opioids, and very few people are getting the medication that could help," said Larry Kenemore, a retired paramedic who leads RAGAPNA. "When our action group saw those numbers, we knew alcohol had to be next. Oar Health gives RAGAPNA what we need to provide treatment in local communities: proven medication people can start from home, from a team that has already helped more than 75,000 members access safe, effective FDA-approved treatments."

How the Partnership Will Reach Communities

The partnership puts RAGAPNA’s local reach and proven playbook from fighting the opioid crisis to work in three steps:

1. Mobilize Rotary's network. RAGAPNA will provide local Rotary clubs across North America with tools and information from Oar Health to take on alcohol addiction.
2. Equip members with the facts. RAGAPNA and Oar Health will create trainings that educate Rotarians about MAUD, how to talk about alcohol use disorder without stigma, and easy steps anyone can take to start treatment from home through Oar Health.
3. Meet people where they are. Trained Rotarians will bring that knowledge to the places where alcohol's toll shows up first: emergency rooms, fire departments, workplaces and town halls.

Rotary International has a long record of solving public health crises for one community at a time. As a founding partner in the global effort to eradicate polio, Rotary International has helped reduce worldwide cases by more than 99.9% since 1988.

Closer to home, RAGAPNA has partnered with more than 600 local Rotary Clubs to address the opioid crisis. From overdose response training to safe medication disposal initiatives to prevention programs in schools to connecting people to 24/7 virtual treatment, RAGAPNA has had a direct impact on more than 300,000 community members. Now, RAGAPNA is bringing the same playbook and local reach to alcohol, bolstered by Oar Health’s expertise in MAUD and reaching people in need of treatment.

"Alcohol use disorder is the deadliest addiction crisis in America, and most people facing it don't know there's a medication that can help," said Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, founder and CEO of Oar Health. "I know firsthand that medication saves lives. After years of trying to change my drinking with willpower alone, naltrexone gave me my life back. This is a powerful collaboration to help more people take back control over alcohol.”

Rotary clubs in North America interested in joining the effort can contact RAGAPNA North America Chapter Leader Larry Kenemore by email at [e-mail] or by phone at 800-670-4829, ext. 800. People seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder can learn more at oarhealth.com.

About Oar Health
Oar Health is a virtual care platform offering FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) to help people drink less or quit. Built by a former patient and backed by pioneers in addiction medicine, Oar delivers a daily pill plus expert guidance. No judgment, just help. Learn more at oarhealth.com.

About Rotary Action Group Addiction Prevention North America
RAGAPNA is a North America network of neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who take action to create lasting changes in communities around the world. It brings together Rotarians and addiction experts to help local Rotary clubs prevent addiction and save lives. Its Project SMART program spans school-based prevention, safe medication disposal, overdose response training, a recovery resource database and access to treatment.

About Rotary International
Founded in 1905, Rotary has clubs in nearly every country. As a founding partner of the global effort to eradicate polio, Rotary has helped reduce polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9% since 1988. Learn more at rotary.org.