Stigma

Gretchen McNally PhD, ANP-BC, AOCNP, discusses the potential impact advanced practice providers and nurses could have in the opioid pandemic if the correct educational opportunities were available.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio is working to change the way society views mental illness and substance use disorders.

The highly contentious Purdue Pharma settlement announced Sept. 1, 2021, comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. overdose crisis: 2020 was the worst year on record, with over 93,000 Americans losing their lives to fatal drug overdose.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — First responders have said these things happen too often: overdosing on opioids and having a stigma around that and mental health issues make it hard to beat.

Robert Kowalski used to take 22 pills a day to combat pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions stemming from years of military service.

A coalition formed to educate central Ohioans about the danger of opioids is taking its message statewide with a new advertising campaign that aims to reduce stigma around addiction and mental illness.

At just 34-years-old, Kyle Overmyer was the youngest sheriff in Ohio. The stress of the job combined with physical pain led him down a dangerous path of addiction.

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)– Drug addiction can affect anyone in any walk of life, but that’s not always how addicts are portrayed. And, experts say that’s part of the problem.