Cover 2 Resources

Ohio has one of the highest opioid overdose death rates in the entire nation. Despite research from the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance revealing that most Ohio parents are aware of this, they still underestimate the risk opioids pose to their children and family.

To counteract this “not my kid” mindset from leading parents to overlook the importance of preventative measures, the Alliance brought it to life through a 2018 public awareness campaign set in the imaginary town of Denial, Ohio.

Last year Greg sat down with the President of the Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Chad Jester, who introduced the program in episode 214 of the Cover2 PPT podcast series.

In today’s podcast, Chad returns to share the success of the program and the plans to spread it throughout Ohio in the coming year.

Join us for today’s podcast where returning guest Chad Jester shares the results of the “Living in denial, Ohio” public awareness campaign.

If you’d like to learn more about the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance or become a member, go to their website: dontliveindenial.org.

For years now, schools across the U.S. have been striving to implement more effective drug abuse prevention and education programs to protect adolescents from alcohol & drug abuse.

However, despite investing millions of dollars into prevention programs such as D.A.R.E and Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign, recent studies have revealed they’ve been largely ineffective.

In fact, some of the programs intended to prevent drug use, have been known to trigger use in teens with certain personality types.

PreVenture, an innovative evidence-based program that identifies at-risk teens through personality-based screening, has been gaining worldwide momentum. Bay Middle School, in Northeast Ohio, began rolling out the PreVenture program during the 2018-2019 school year. Last month, we sat down with the team of educators who introduced the program in Bay Village.

Joining us today to share their experience with PreVenture, is Bay Village Middle School Principal Aaron Ereditario, Bay Middle School Teacher Chris Mullarkey, and former Bay Village High School Principal Jim Cahoon.

Together, we take a deep-dive into how the PreVenture program was selected, rolled out, and what’s in store for the next phase of this ground-breaking prevention program at the Bay Middle School.

Earlier this year, Greg interviewed bestselling author Beth Macy in a series on her book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. It’s a compelling account of the opioid epidemic in our country and profiles the over twenty-year history of the opioid crisis as it emerged in the state of Virginia.

Recently, he caught up with Beth to talk about her latest project, Finding Tess, the story of Tess Henry, a young mother in her 20’s who does her best to recover from heroin addiction for her son.

In November, Beth and her producer, Emily Martinez, released an Audible Original podcast series portraying Tess' graphic struggle against heroin addiction in obscure parts of Las Vegas.

Join us for the return of bestselling author of Dopesick, Beth Macy, and Audible Originals producer Emily Martinez, as they introduce us to Finding Tess, their five-part podcast series sharing the last days of a young mother’s life as she battles heroin addiction on the Las Vegas streets.

It’s difficult for a non-addicted person to rationalize the addicted mind, and the societal stigmatism around addiction doesn’t make that any easier. How can they keep making these decisions if they know they’re wrong, and why won’t they make choices that lead to recovery?

The truth is, an addict isn’t in complete control. Like cancer or diabetes, addiction is a disease. In spite of a sound moral compass, a lot is going on in an addict’s brain that drives them to behave badly or make poor choices.

Returning to the Cover2 Resources podcast to help explain the science behind the addicted mind, is Dr. Nicole Labor.

Dr. Labor is not only a successful addiction specialist but a former addict herself. She uses this experience to bring a unique perspective to her work and the conversation surrounding addiction. Dr. Labor has spoken at many events, breaking down the biology of addiction in ways a layperson can easily understand.

To empower more families, Dr. Labor's new book, The Addictoholic Deconstructed: An Irreverent Quick and Dirty Education by a Doctor who Says F*ck, a Lot, further explores the science of addiction through her personal experience.

Breaking down the ideas she shares in her book, Nichole takes us through her journey with addiction, providing a personal, and technical perspective, into the science of the addicted mind.

Join us for today’s podcast, with returning guest Dr. Nichole Labor, where we deconstruct the science of addiction.

If you want to grab yourself a copy of "The Addictoholic Deconstructed: An Irreverent Quick and Dirty Education by a Doctor who Says F*ck, a Lot",  By Dr. Nichole Labor, click the link here. https://bit.ly/2qEh7is

Four years ago, actor, writer, and Akron Ohio native, Jeremie Campbell, was unaware that the opioid crisis was continuing to ravage his hometown.

Following his high school graduation, the former all-state football player left Akron for Hollywood. In part to pursue his acting career, landing roles in Spartan, Bicycle Dreams, and Dangerous Words from the Fearless, and to escape the tightening grip of opioids on his community.

For a long time, it seemed Jeremie had escaped the epidemic. However, the situation got personal when he began losing his boyhood friends to opioid overdoes.

Today, Jeremie’s back to develop and film his latest screenplay. A fictional story, inspired by his life experiences, about the very real impact of the opioid crisis on four friends from Akron, Ohio.

Join us for today’s podcast, with special guest Jeremie Campbell, as he shares his dream to put Akron on the cinematic map, and use his voice to bring hope to the voiceless.

If you want to get involved with this project, stay tuned to Mdifilm.com and email Video & Photography Company, Back To One Productions, at [email protected].

In August, a closely watched Oklahoma opioid trial concluded. Johnson & Johnson was found guilty of deceptive marketing practices and public nuisance, the judge awarded the state $572 Million to cover the first year of abatement.

However, the judge later announced he had made a $107 million miscalculation. Instead of $572 million, the amount awarded to Oklahoma was actually $465 Million.

The miscalculation brought an outcry among Oklahoma state attorneys, mental health specialists, and addiction experts. All claim that the true cost of the opioid crisis is much higher than $572 million, and will take at least 20 years to resolve.

After this surprising announcement, we decided to try to answer the question: What are the latest cost estimates of the opioid crisis, and how do they correlate to the judgment awarded in Oklahoma? Our guests on today’s episode, Dale Hall and Dr. Christopher Ruhm, share the results of their research.

Together, they detail the massive financial burden Big Pharma has placed on our country and break down the Judge’s award against Johnson & Johnson.

Join us for today’s podcast with Dale Hall and Dr. Christopher Ruhm, to hear the true cost of the opioid crisis.

You wouldn’t pay for something without knowing what you were getting, but all too often, our tax dollars are spent on programs without accountability for results. With the new ResultsOhio initiative, led by state Treasurer Robert Sprague, Ohio is looking for data-backed solutions to guide its funding decisions for social and public health programs.

As Ohio’s Treasurer of State, Robert Sprague manages the state’s $20 billion investment and $10 billion debt portfolios, collects and deposits all state revenues, and oversees custodial assets.

Taking a collaborative approach to government-funded recovery, ResultsOhio focuses on collecting the best treatment ideas and supporting what gets results. Organizations are invited to pitch their best recovery projects for a chance to earn government funding. However, they must prove their project will get results.

With the ResultsOhio initiative, organizations of every size, background, and sector, will have the chance to make meaningful change for those on the road to recovery.

Join us for today’s podcast, where Treasurer Robert Sprague returns to share his innovative, “pay for success” recovery program, guided by data-driven results.

While still in the process of creating a more detailed application, anybody that interested in more information can follow the link here, or contact Results Ohio at (614) 466-8557 or [email protected] .

On October 21st, just as a landmark opioid trial was about to begin, a $260 million settlement was reached.

The deal negotiated between three major opioid distributors, one opioid manufacturer, and Cuyahoga and Summit Country Ohio, resulted in a combination of cash payouts, and donations of addiction treatments.

The first of its kind, this case could become a settlement model for thousands of similar cases against the pharmaceutical industry.

The details of the settlement are extremely dense. To help break them down, Andrew Pollis, Case Western Reserve professor of Law and friend of the podcast, is joining us to share his reaction to this week’s settlement news.

Finally, we conclude today’s podcast by revisiting our op-ed collaboration about honoring the lives lost in the opioid epidemic with a settlement providing the best chance at long-term recovery for those in need.

Join us on today’s podcast, as Andrew Pollis returns to share his insight into one of the opioid epidemics' most influential cases.

Last week, in part 1 of our series on harm reduction, Dr. Jeffrey Singer talked with us about the current state of Naloxone in America, and how to get it to those in need.

Today, in the 2nd part of this series, we explore Dr. Singer’s argument against the opioid prescribing limits that have been implemented by many states as a means to slow the opioid epidemic.

With more prescribing leniency, a nonprofit group's bid to open a medically supervised drug injection site in Philadelphia could be the first of many alternative treatment methods.

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On April 6th, 2020, Dr. Springer will debate author Sam Quinones on the premise of his bestselling book “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opioid Epidemic”. Join us next time as we continue our conversation with Dr. Singer and Preview his faceoff with Mr. Quinones.

As a regular listener of our podcast, you know that Naloxone can revive an unconscious overdose victim, and stabilize them until proper medical help arrives.

130 people die in our country every day from an opioid overdose, and many deaths could be prevented if Naloxone were more readily available. While first responders carry the life-saving drug, it’s not always possible for them to make it to overdose victims in time to save them.

So, how can we get Naloxone to those who need it most? Many leaders, including the US Surgeon General, believe the answer lies in making Naloxone more readily available in our communities.

In today’s podcast, we’ll examine the hurdles that stand in the way of making Naloxone ubiquitous in our communities and what’s being done to remove those hurdles.

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Jeffrey Singer to lead our discussion. Dr. Singer is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, the founder of Valley Surgical Clinics, and an expert on US Naloxone policy.