A Call To Action

Role: Board Member

A favorite quote: If not now, when?

What connects you to this work? 

I grew up in Appalachia. My parents are from Appalachia. I worked in Appalachia as an emergency room physician. I have witnessed the pain of loss due to the opioid epidemic. This is what connects me.

Role: Advisory Board

A favorite quote: Just Do It.

What connects you to this work? 

The people. Building stronger communities one project at a time....from Southeast Washington DC to the Holler's of West Virginia-- people need support.

Role: Advisory Board 

A favorite quote (or two): Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Psalms 112:5

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. 

Albert Einstein

What connects you to this work?

Few things steal so much from an individual, family, and community as substance use.  I grew up in a community ravaged by this terrible tragedy. Humility and kindness and not shame and stigma can go a long way. So, let's be kind. 

Role: Advisory Board

A favorite quote: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” - Gandhi 

What connects you to this work? My need to see others thrive and live their best authentic life is what draws me to the work.  The interactions I have had and continue to have with the community continues to inspire my work.

Role: Advisory Board

A favorite quote: The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people but because of the silence of good people.

What connects you to this work? 

My daughter was in second grade and said "my mom takes care of all the people that no one else can hear or see". I know that people can get better. Families can heal. Communities can thrive. Everyone is talking but no one is listening. I have listened for 12 years. Now I can be the change. I am a voice that can be heard. 

Role: Public Health Specialist

A favorite quote: "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." - Steve Martin

What connects you to this work?

I was drawn to SocialCareRx in particular because of its commitment to bridging a financial gap for individuals living with opioid use disorder, because I believe  that a small gesture can help people get back on their feet. This gesture can help provide support for individuals with unequal access to opportunities and offer them the boost they may need.

Role: Board Member

A favorite quote: "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.  Do justly, now.  Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now.  You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." 

- Maxim of the Pirkei Avot  

Ethics of the Fathers

What connects you to this work?

As a physician board certified in addiction medicine who has provided care for people living with opioid use disorder in some of the regions we serve and beyond, the barrier of the economic gap was a recurrent theme. After a while I thought, enough. I have to stop thinking and wishing. Act.

Role: Friend of SocialCareRx

A favorite quote: "Sometimes we drug ourselves with dreams of new ideas. But there are no new ideas still waiting in the wings to save us as women, as human… There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions within ourselves, along with the renewed courage to try them out." —Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider (1984)

What connects you to this work?

A belief that all beings are fundamentally connected to each other and an interest to support an intervention that puts this belief into action. 

Role: Board Member

A favorite quote: What would life be if we had the courage to attempt anything? 

What connects you to this work?

I am passionate about making the health system work for the people. I believe that the health system is unique in  asking questions that no one else is  --- do you have enough food, do you feel safe at home, etc. We have the unique opportunity to impact people's health and overall, their life. Imagine what would happen if we meet people at the point of their basic life needs --- food, home, job security? The possibilities of that draw me to this work.

Role: Public Health Specialist

A favorite quote: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style".

-Maya Angelou

What connects you to this work? What connects me to this work is the countless people I have lost due to this disease called addiction. The pain that comes from not being able to save someone from this is worse than losing the person. If there is any way that I can help anyone on their journey to recovery, I am more than willing to help.  

Role: Friend of SocialCareRx

A favorite quote:  "Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane." -  MLK Jr

What connects you to this work?

What draws me to this work is this ideal: everyone, everywhere deserves an equitable chance of achieving health, economic and political equality.

Role: Friend of SocialCareRx