QUINCY, Mass. — Fallon, a Massachusetts-based ambulance company, recently rolled out new banner advertisements and social media posts supporting the state’s opiate-awareness campaign, State Without Stigma.
State Without Stigma was started last year in response to the sharply rising levels of opioid abuse. According to official statistics, there were 1,526 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2015, more than double the number of deaths recorded just three years earlier in 2012.
The campaign’s goal is to encourage more dialogue, education and awareness about opiate addiction. The shame and negative connotations surrounding opiate abuse regularly prevents individuals from aggressively seeking treatment.
“I really felt the stigma of addiction. I mean from everybody. I wouldn’t go to the hospital, just because I knew that as soon as I got there, as soon as they looked at my chart and saw that I had a history of heroin addiction or saw the abscess in my arm, I was instantly labeled a ‘junkie,’” said Stephanie, a spokesperson for the campaign.
Fallon Ambulance is doing their part by encouraging its employees to post on social media, pledging their support to end the stigma surrounding opiate addiction.
Fallon Ambulance employees continue to take the #StateWithoutStigMA pledge. https://t.co/qmHvXtOtQn pic.twitter.com/L1M93bl5at
— Fallon Ambulance (@FallonAmb) July 11, 2016