A National Event (9/27): From Pain to Promise – Addressing Opioids & Suicide in Communities Across America

Click here to download a PDF version of the Media Advisory

Washington, DC / PR web / September 25, 2017 – The United States is experiencing a drop in overall life expectancy for the first time in nearly 25 years, due in part to increases in two of the nation’s most heart-breaking and yet preventable public health challenges: the increasing rate of suicide and the increasing misuse of opioid drugs. This one-of-a-kind event will focus on what can be done on a community level to address these national crises. Public and private sector thought leaders will discuss potential solutions for reducing so-called “deaths of despair” – death by drugs, alcohol and suicide — restoring hope, and saving lives in communities across the country. Our discussion comes in the wake of the Administration’s call to declare the opioid crisis a “national emergency” and on the eve of delivery of final recommendations of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.

WHO:                        

• Alex Crosby, Senior Medical Advisor on Suicide Prevention, Division of Violence Prevention (DVP), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Arthur C. Evans, Chief Executive Officer, American Psychological Association
• Brooke Feldman, Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Advocate; Blogger, Huffington Post; Voice of Lived Experience
• Patrick Kennedy, Founder, The Kennedy Forum; Member, President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, Executive Committee Member, Action Alliance
• Gary Langis, Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant, EDC; Voice of Lived Experience
• Elinore McCance-Katz, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Jerry Reed, Senior Vice President, EDC; Executive Committee Member, Action Alliance
• Kay Warren, Co-founder, Saddleback Church; Executive Committee Member, Action Alliance

WHEN:           Wednesday, September 27, 2017 from 3:00-5:30 p.m.

WHERE:         Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Rotunda, North Tower, 8th Floor

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20004

RSVP: Media must RSVP to this event by emailing or calling Alison Cohen and/or Kimberly Torguson.

The event is hosted by Education Development Center (EDC) and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance).