"Lift The Label" is a new public awareness campaign that strives to remove stigmas that prevent those with opioid addiction from seeking treatment.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 23, 2022
Contact: Christine Duplan, Public Information Officer
(970) 423-8901
Christine.Duplan@summitcountyco.gov
SUMMIT COUNTY SHERIFF JAIME FITZSIMONS SUPPORTS “LIFT THE LABEL” CAMPAIGN
SUMMIT COUNTY, CO – Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons supports “Lift The Label,” a new public awareness campaign that strives to remove damaging labels and stigma that prevent those with opioid addiction from seeking effective treatment. The campaign was developed by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health and is funded through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Opioid addiction or opioid use disorder (OUD) is a medical disorder that results from the recurrent use of opioids which creates a reliance on the opioid, fueling the craving to continue using it, no matter the emotional, social, and physical consequences it may have on one’s life. Unfortunately the negative stigmas that surround opioid addiction and the medications used to assist in treating addiction, often times prevents people from seeking or receiving the help they desperately need.
“Rather than criminalizing addiction, we need to acknowledge that addiction is a disease and utilize a multi-pronged approach. While we continue to focus on the flow of illegal narcotics into our community, we also need to make available harm reduction measures by offering medication, counseling, narcotic test strips, and naloxone to those that are afflicted. Having a range of options betters your chances of getting people the help they need,” said Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons.
To learn more about treatment resources, watch and read stories of Coloradans, and learn how to support a loved one, please visit https://liftthelabel.org. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office will also be sharing more information on the Lift The Label campaign in the coming weeks on our social media platforms: https://www.facebook.com/SummitSheriffCO, https://www.instagram.com/summitcountysheriff/ and https://twitter.com/SummitSheriffCO.
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