October 10, 2024 • 30 mins
Community Host Dennis Glasgow visits with Senior Director Media & Public Relations Lauren Lawson-Zilai from Shatterproof to talk about the national non-profit that was started over a decade ago by founder and ceo Gary Mendall that addresses addition stigma and much more on the 30 min show.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
I'm your host Denis Glasgow. This morning we get a
chance to talk with Lauren Laws and Zeli. She is
the senior director Media and public Relations for Shatterproof, a
national nonprofit and now quoting founder and CEO Gary Mendel.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We don't wait for change, we create it together. We're
working to transform our healthcare system and our society so
we prevent and treat addiction with science and compassion, the
way we do with any other chronic illness, and build
a future where those touched by this disease don't experience
any shame or stigma. Here's my conversation with Lauren from Shatterproof.
I hope you enjoyed as much as I did.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Good morning, Lauren, Good morning, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, it's a pleasure to talk to you. And I
know you and I have been going back and forth
in email because we had Kirsten on last year, and
we should also mention too, for full disclosure, Shatterproof and
iHeartMedia are big partners and we're really happy about that.
And I know that you do some board work with
us and Kirsten and Jesu and my wife. Everybody's part
of Shatterproof when it comes to ire, which I love.
(01:02):
It's a big family. And I really found out something
really cool last year when I did talk to Kirsten
about what you guys do, and I didn't know it existed,
and like a lot of my listeners, I learned so
much and I was so grateful that Shatterproof is out there.
So I think we should do this though, because that
was about a year ago. So what we should do
was tell everybody what Shatterproof is and then and then
take it from there. So, Lauren, what do you guys do?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
And first I want to thank you. You touched on
the fact that iHeart is a media partner and you
have been for the second year. And I'm also so
grateful to serve on the advisory council and really help
steer the direction of Iheart's involvement in the community. And
you do so much as a as a station and
as an entity and only increasing that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So thank you and thanks for having me on.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
So.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Shotterproof is a national nonprofit organization. We are named because
we don't want addiction to shatter another family, and we
provide trust guidance through the complexities of substance use disorder.
We want people to understand that a substance use disorder
is a medical health condition. It's a chronic brain disorder.
(02:12):
We are on a mission to really transform addiction treatment
so that more people can recover. And we have three
pillars of work, So that's transforming addiction treatment. As I mentioned,
ending addiction stigma, and educating.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
And empowering communities.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
We also want to be sure that people who use
substances or have substance use disorder can recover and live
healthy and fulfilling lives. Shatter Proof was formed because there
is a national nonprofit organization for every health medical condition,
(02:52):
whether you're thinking of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, etc. And there
needed to be an organization that was focused on how
to help people that have a substance use disorder.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That's all well said. Now, every nonprofit has a story
about how it started, and this one is a touching
one and it's a hard listen folks, But I will
tell you this because I talked to another foundation that's
local in the region that you're going to also hear
this weekend on all our IARN stations, and it was
about the loss of a child and while those and
(03:30):
I'm a parent, so you know I get jammed up
when I hear these stories. But for your founder and
your CEO, Gary, and back in twenty thirteen, I'd like
you to talk about Brian's story about all this started,
Lauren because of something that came out that was tragic.
Gary took it to the next level and said, listen,
I'm not going to let this define me in our family.
(03:52):
We're going to take it to the next level with
shadow Proof. So can if I could indulge you and
for our listeners, could you tell us a story please?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yes.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
So.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Gary Mendel is a founder and CEO of shatter Proof
and our nonprofit is technically headquartered in Connecticut. We do
have staff all over the country. Gary was raising his
family in Connecticut. His oldest son, Brian, became addicted to
alcohol and drugs in high school. And Gary is the founder.
(04:24):
He's an HI executive. For those in DC, you might
be familiar with some of the local hotels in the
area that all fall under HI, whether it's a Madison,
a Sheraton, or Weston. And I say that because he
had financial means to really look into Brian's health condition
(04:48):
and what kind of care he needed, and Gary felt lost.
There was a youth in the neighborhood down the street
who was going through cancer at the time, people were
doing bake sales and fundraising and Gary didn't really feel
that support for his family and he didn't feel like
he could talk to anyone. And he looked at types
(05:11):
of care. Was it residential, was it outpatient? Mental health medication?
And it's really often a confusing web for parents. His
son Brian went to ten different treatment programs in eight years.
Though Brian was substance free for thirteen months, sadly, he
(05:32):
felt a lot of shame from society. He felt like
an outcast and that led him to take his own life.
It was very heartbreaking for Gary, as you can imagine,
I'm also a parent. He left his role to travel
the country for four months to really understand to work
(05:56):
with the American Society of Addiction Medicine to look at
what research was being done, how it was being conducted,
and he found that a lot of research was buried
in medical journals. So he intended to take some time
a few months away from his business, and that actually
(06:18):
turned into him taking his pain and turning it into
passion to help others, and that's really how Shatterproof was born.
What Gary has done and along with our team, but
mainly obviously Gary is a visionary leader. Over ten years,
it's pretty remarkable. He established something called Shatterproof Treatment Atlas,
(06:43):
which is a free and confidential online platform where anyone
can search for care. Is available in fourteen states. We're expanding,
but we all know that people do travel to various
states for care as well. He did that because you
need to whether you yourself have a substance use disorder
(07:04):
or have a loved one, you need to be able
to find care that's appropriate and quality care, not everything
that comes up in your Google search is essentially appropriate.
So he did that in coronation with the American Society
of Addiction Medicine, he has established national principles of care.
(07:25):
He helped create a national Stigma Initiative, So if you
think about any stigmas that have existed in our society,
we really want to change hearts and minds and behaviors
about addiction and substance use disorder. And he has passed.
He has worked with our public policy team to help
(07:50):
pass more than thirty pieces of legislation, he has testified
in front of Congress, he has done extensive media interviews
and speaking events. So it's really incredible and remarkable what
shotter Proof has done within these ten years and now
looking at close to eleven and what.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Is possible for the future.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
The other thing that I would add is just we
know from the National Survey and Drug Use and Health
that the stats for people identifying as having a substance
use disorder has increased. So last year when you had
Kirsten on it was forty six million, it's now nearly
forty nine million. Less than five percent of people that
(08:38):
have a substance use disorder receive treatment, and that all
goes back to stigma. They don't feel like they can
talk about the help their health condition, that they feel isolated.
Some people with a substance use disorder might not get
support from friends and family members, so there's or they
might not get the support that they need from their
(09:02):
health professional, from their primary care physician. So this is
a really serious health concern. But also we have to
unite and address the pervasive shame and judgment towards this
medical condition and do more.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Well, that's well said, and I think there are so
many different buckets. There's also mental health and besides substance
abuse and addictions and everything. So I'm glad it's being addressed.
And while it's tragic with Gary losing a child, a boy,
he took the next step and has made something just
incredible over this last decade plus with his journey is
advocating with you, the team and everybody, and it's truly amazing.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The other thing I was thinking about, Lauren as you
were talking about all that is that and I'm not
looking for you to clown government agencies or the current
medical state, because I know people can only go so far.
It's about resources and money. We all understand that as
anybody who works for living and has medical care of
an issue, or you know you need medication or you
(10:04):
need to see a psychologists psychiatrist. I could go on
about all the stuff we need, but it can only
go so far, right, And I imagine that when Gary
did his journey afterwards and the subsequent advocating, he must
have seen so many holes in the industry that probably
were pretty alarming, hence starting Shatterproof. And I imagine in
(10:25):
the handful of years that you've been with them, and
as you talk to the team in Gearing, everybody else
just how probably government and agencies and the medical industry
have fallen so short where you are now filling that gap.
Thank god for you guys. It's my point. But that's
why it's so great to talk to nonprofits like you,
because agencies, especially governments, can only go so far.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Right right, and this is.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
A health conditioned and important issue that it's really where
all sectors can come together. Our team recently spoke at SCHERM,
which is the Society for Human Resource Management Conference. It's
the biggest conference. They're twenty five thousand business and HR executives.
(11:13):
But we did that because we wanted to reach employers
because it's not only government, but employers need to be
able to provide a safe and recovery friendly workplace. One
of our partners is Hilton. They're working with us on
the walk. They were there at Shuram with us and
(11:36):
they have been doing that. But we need more agencies, corporations,
companies for profit companies really doing that to be inclusive
to people with its mental health, this health condition.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
You know, I want to talk a little bit about
data and I will I promise I won't quote you
in anything specific, but I imagine there are going to
be some numbers that you and your team look at
that and I'm just going to guess that are probably
pretty alarming. And I know there's all sorts of different
types of addictions, but whether it's the DMV or nationwide,
as you take a look at some of the data
that maybe you can share with us just to give
(12:14):
us kind of a grasp, but what we're all dealing with,
what do you have?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (12:20):
So I will tell you two things, and really specific
to the DC area. New data indicates that we have
lost the lives of two thousand Washingtonians in the past
five years due to substance use disorder and fetanyl, which
you can't smell. It is a small less than the
(12:47):
dime size, can ultimately cause a fatality. It is the
leading killer of people ages eighteen to forty nine. A
parent of a ten and a half year old, and
I've learned a lot in the two years that I
have been here, but it has been informative because I
(13:09):
think about my daughter entering middle school and high school
and what might be offered to her, or what might
be accessible intentionally and unintentionally. If you think of youth
that have depression or anxiety, they might be going on
(13:29):
a social platform to get a medication, whether it's a
sleeping pill or something else that they want to take
to help them, but in turn, they might get access
to a substance that is laced with fetanol, and so
they are dying and that is not what they intended
(13:50):
to do. That is a huge issue in our country,
and I know a lot of schools in this region
actually Montgomery County, have done speaking events and sent out
materials and resources and things like that. But there needs
to be more of a unifying partnership and more awareness
(14:15):
because I think people just aren't.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Aware, right. And we're both parents. We've talked about that.
I have a twenty two year old, so I've gone
through a lot of the stuff that you'll be going
through in the coming years. And listen, Lauren, it's scary.
It just is. And I want to get real with
all the parents because I know a lot of parents
think they're clued in, but here's how it goes. Folks
that if your kid happens to find drugs at a party,
(14:38):
maybe they're doing drugs with the kids at a party,
or they get it from somebody off the street. It
doesn't really matter how they get it, that they got
it and they don't know the origin of it. Fentanyl
can be in those drugs and they don't know whatsoever,
and it could be as simple as marijuana. And that
really is the kicker, folks, that you've got to talk
to your kids about. You know, first of all, try
(14:59):
not to do anything but the origin. When you don't
know where it's coming from, you can die. You can
have your best friend die and it'll be a mistake
and nobody will know it and it'll be a huge tragedy.
And this is happening with a lot of celebrities right now.
That's in the news over the last couple of years. Laurene.
I know you've read it. I've read it too, that
here about these fentonyl overdoses, and it is shocking. It
(15:21):
doesn't have to happen, But if you start doing drugs
where you don't know the origin of it, you're going
to put yourself in harms away. And that's kind of
where it starts right.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
And just to emphasize the stats that I mentioned and
really the seriousness of the issue, I mentioned you could
get access to it by purchasing a sleeping Pillar caffeine pill.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
It's involved in eighty four percent of drug related fatalities
for people between the ages of fifteen and nineteen, and
you can get something for twenty five dollars. So you
can think about just the the low cost of that,
but what that results in. And we know that more
(16:04):
than one hundred and fifty people are dying every day
from drug related fatalities related to fatanyl.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yeah, it's pretty shocking stuff, but I'm glad you guys
are on the case and helping out and all the
things that you do. That leads me to my next question.
I think we've got everybody's attention here now saying, well,
this is really cool. I like what Shatterproof is doing.
How can I be a part of this? And maybe
I've got a loved one in my family or someday
I know a coworker, even myself about the criteria about
(16:33):
if I'm reaching out to you, how do I do that?
But also how can you help me? Can we talk
about that?
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Yeah, So there are several ways to get involved for
both advocacy and awareness efforts but also support. So I'll
start with. If you're looking to get involved with Shatterproof,
we have an Ambassador program, and this is a national
work of volunteers. Many of them are in the DC area.
(17:05):
They have lived experience with addiction, whether it's they were
impacted personally or with their family members or friends. We
have more than three thousand and four hundred ambassadors, so
besides DC, they're in every state in the US, and
there's an ambassador form on our website. You fill that out,
(17:28):
we'll be in touch with you and how you become involved.
As about an ambassador is really based on what you
want to offer.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
If it's testifying.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
On a government level, if it's working at table at
a community event, if it's taking part in a media
interview or writing a blog. There are plenty of opportunities.
It's also a great way to find your community, and
I think that's the hardest part when someone is either
(18:03):
in substance use, in recovery or loss a loved one,
they want to find this community of people that really
understand them, and that's the benefit of the Ambassador program.
There is also a National Addiction Memorial Will that we
have and that provides a safe space for people to
(18:26):
share stories and photos of loved ones lost to addiction.
I have learned from family members sometimes they don't necessarily
feel as though they can safely state the cause of
death in an obituary, and this really provides a platform
to do that. I will say that, notably, seventy percent
(18:47):
of visitors to the memorial are under the age of
forty five, with fifty percent under the age of thirty five.
So I think that really shows you just the significant
reach of the younger audience is and where this issue
is impacting what demographic the most. We have more than
(19:08):
thirty four hundred stories on that wall. The other thing
that people can do is share their story, and this
goes back to what I was saying about changing hearts
and minds. So your stories, when shared, can empower change
for addiction recovery. You can inspire others. Anytime we've done
(19:29):
a media interview, I have heard from someone in the
community that said, thank you, I checked into treatment that day,
I went and sought help. So there's really nothing like that,
just that life changing impact.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, amazed. It's powerful, isn't it when you hear about it,
that you're not alone right right?
Speaker 4 (19:53):
And just from how you and I and the Ihearts
team has gotten involved. We have our walk coming up,
which I'm happy to talk about.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yeah, please, why don't we go to the upcoming events please?
I'd love to. We have time to do that great.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
So that is happening on Saturday, October nineteenth. We are
at a new location this year, the Wharf, and that
is from eight to eleven am. It is a free event.
Of course, we welcome people to register, either individually or
form a team if they'd like to fundraise. We appreciate
(20:34):
their support, but we really want people to come out
and find their community. And the other unique aspect of
the walk this year, besides changing locations, is that we
just released a really important piece of research last week
in fact, which is called the Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index.
(20:57):
And I will throw a few more that's out at you,
but basically, we surveyed eight thousand US adults and we
looked at various demographics that matched with all of our
walk markets, and we found that in DC specifically, so
(21:18):
within the DC metro region, seventy five percent of people
don't believe a person with substance use disorder is experiencing
a chronic medical illness, sixty seven percent are unwilling to
have a person with substance use disorder marry into their family,
(21:39):
fifty seven percent are unwilling to hire a person with
a substance use disorder, and fifty one percent are unwilling
to have a person with substance use disorder as a
close friend.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
So those are those are really larger.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Numbers, very large numbers. Yes, And so.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
I was saying at the beginning of the interview, all
our initiatives, our walk, our policy initiatives, our program, and
educational initiatives are all focused on how our society can prevent, treat,
and provide support for those with this medical condition. That
(22:20):
it's done with empathy and love, and it's not just now,
but it's for future generations. And the money from the Walk,
so more than seventy four percent of the funds goes
back to our mission, and we want to be sure
that everyone has access to evidence based and evidenced informed
(22:44):
interventions for substance use disorder.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
So I did want to ask you about another thing
when it comes to social media, younger people, but also
the media in general, because you know you as senior
director of Media and Public Relations, I mean, you're knee
deep in this and you talk to media agencies and
people like me all the time and you get interviewed,
but you also see what they're talking about and when
they're not talking about, and you have a good scope
(23:09):
of that. And so I'm not looking necessarily for an opinion,
but just overall because I'm seeing two different kinds of
things out there. I'm seeing celebrities, athletes, and my daughter's
peer group feeling very comfortable with talking about what you
and I have been talking about over the last twenty minutes.
And I'm happy about that because that stigma to your
point of what Chatterproof does is that shroud is starting
(23:31):
to be taken off. We'd like it probably a little
bit quicker, but it's coming off. But I'm curious when
it comes to the media as opposed to this young
generation who sometimes overshares, but I like that they're sharing.
How is the media overall treating addiction and what you're
trying to do out there. Are they on board or
(23:54):
is there something stopping them from really having the tough
talks and the conversations that we need to out there
able to relate to people to say this is real stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Folks right, And I'm glad you brought that up because
September is recovery month, so we just had Recovery month,
and last year at this time, we did a panel
for media to really help them understand about substance use.
I think that the best thing that media can do
(24:22):
is be conscious about their language choice. So it's not
an abuse, it's a substance use disorder, the medical health condition.
Using words such as people first language, So a person
with substance use disorder, person with oipoid use disorder, person
(24:44):
with an alcohol use disorder. There's stigmatizing language that we're
all familiar with, and being able to be conscious about
your words will help and that will make an impact
and coverage.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
We hear people use clean.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Substance free is a more appropriate choice of language.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
And I think that.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
The more media do this, the more people will change
their language and how they talk about it themselves, whether
it's on social or in social interactions, what have you.
But media can they're the ones that are disseminating information
(25:30):
on various platforms and that's really where they can be
the driving force.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Want you Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. Sorry
to interrupt you. I'm glad you brought that up because
it just reminds me about another nonprofit I've talked to
in the area and they're also partners with us, and
it's the prevention of suicide and they have some wonderful
people that work on it. Ellen is wonderful. I don't
know if you know her or not. She's I do
know her, Yeah, she is the best. But I learned
(25:57):
talking to her and getting on this program a couple
of years ago and we've started visiting regularly. It's not
commit suicide anymore. It's about language. It's about died by suicide.
And I think people have to realize this. You know,
people start, you know, accusing people of being woken some
other crap and stuff like that. Has nothing to do
with that, folks. It's about the appropriate language for just
twenty twenty four so we can all get on the
(26:19):
same page about what's happening. And that's really all it is.
It's not any agenda to make you say anything in
a specific way. It's just the appropriate thing to say.
But it also says what it is, so it can
be relatable to young people and the older people. And
so we're all on the same page. You know, we're
all going to use different kind of language that we
brought up with from our era, and I get all that,
(26:39):
but it's okay to grow learn and listen and what
the latest is and what people are really trying to
get the point across when it comes to the kind
of language we use. So I'm glad you brought that up.
I didn't mean to digress, but I've learned a lot
on this program over the last three or four years
about that a lot of language is changing all these areas,
and there's nothing wrong.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
With that, right, It's exactly it's choosing supportive, non judgmental
words that treat people with respect and compassion, which is.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
What we all want at the end of the day.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
And I think people need to understand that language really
improves outcomes. It improves outcomes for people living with a
substance use disorder, for people with mental health conditions, with
physical health conditions. It's really just that switch and change
in language that can make a big difference overall.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Well, listen, I could talk to you forever. You're wonderful.
We only have about a minut and a half of
so I want to have you recap everything and then
give the website at the end, because I'm sure people
have googled it for the people have it, and I
want you get that website at the end. But maybe
just some final thoughts Lauren on shadow Proof and moving forward.
But the floor is yours, please.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
The shatter prof vision is for no one to suffer
or die from substance use disorder, a disease that is treatable,
and we are here to help. In addition to our
Shatterproof Walk to end addiction stigma in the DC area itself,
we also have a team that we have formed for
(28:09):
the Marine Corps Marathon that's happening on October twenty seventh.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Our walk again.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
Is happening on October nineteenth, and that's at the Wharf.
The website to learn more about the walk and to
register is Shatterproofwalk dot org. Again, that's Shatterproofwalk dot org.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Outstanding. Well, listen, thank you so much for this. I
really appreciate because I know how busy you are. Give
my best to Kirsten and the whole team. I'm thrilled
that Shadowproof and iHeart our partners because it's a really
big deal and it's a big issue and I'm glad
we're talking about it. And while you know, Gary went
through something very horrifying, he turned a scar into a star,
(28:55):
lost a child. But you know he's changing thousands and
thousands of lies in the memory of his son, and
there couldn't be any greater honor. So please give my
best to him too, and let's stay in touch. Yeah,
and thank you for everything. It's just wonderful what shadow
Proof and everybody's doing. And really really appreciate joining us
on Community DC.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Thank you again. We appreciate the exposure.
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Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community DC.
I'm your host Denis Glasgow. This morning we get a
chance to talk with Lauren Laws and Zeli. She is
the senior director Media and public Relations for Shatterproof, a
national nonprofit and now quoting founder and CEO Gary Mendel.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
We don't wait for change, we create it together. We're
working to transform our healthcare system and our society so
we prevent and treat addiction with science and compassion, the
way we do with any other chronic illness, and build
a future where those touched by this disease don't experience
any shame or stigma. Here's my conversation with Lauren from Shatterproof.
I hope you enjoyed as much as I did.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Good morning, Lauren, Good morning, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, it's a pleasure to talk to you. And I
know you and I have been going back and forth
in email because we had Kirsten on last year, and
we should also mention too, for full disclosure, Shatterproof and
iHeartMedia are big partners and we're really happy about that.
And I know that you do some board work with
us and Kirsten and Jesu and my wife. Everybody's part
of Shatterproof when it comes to ire, which I love.
(01:02):
It's a big family. And I really found out something
really cool last year when I did talk to Kirsten
about what you guys do, and I didn't know it existed,
and like a lot of my listeners, I learned so
much and I was so grateful that Shatterproof is out there.
So I think we should do this though, because that
was about a year ago. So what we should do
was tell everybody what Shatterproof is and then and then
take it from there. So, Lauren, what do you guys do?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
And first I want to thank you. You touched on
the fact that iHeart is a media partner and you
have been for the second year. And I'm also so
grateful to serve on the advisory council and really help
steer the direction of Iheart's involvement in the community. And
you do so much as a as a station and
as an entity and only increasing that.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
So thank you and thanks for having me on.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
So.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Shotterproof is a national nonprofit organization. We are named because
we don't want addiction to shatter another family, and we
provide trust guidance through the complexities of substance use disorder.
We want people to understand that a substance use disorder
is a medical health condition. It's a chronic brain disorder.
(02:12):
We are on a mission to really transform addiction treatment
so that more people can recover. And we have three
pillars of work, So that's transforming addiction treatment. As I mentioned,
ending addiction stigma, and educating.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
And empowering communities.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
We also want to be sure that people who use
substances or have substance use disorder can recover and live
healthy and fulfilling lives. Shatter Proof was formed because there
is a national nonprofit organization for every health medical condition,
(02:52):
whether you're thinking of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, etc. And there
needed to be an organization that was focused on how
to help people that have a substance use disorder.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That's all well said. Now, every nonprofit has a story
about how it started, and this one is a touching
one and it's a hard listen folks, But I will
tell you this because I talked to another foundation that's
local in the region that you're going to also hear
this weekend on all our IARN stations, and it was
about the loss of a child and while those and
(03:30):
I'm a parent, so you know I get jammed up
when I hear these stories. But for your founder and
your CEO, Gary, and back in twenty thirteen, I'd like
you to talk about Brian's story about all this started,
Lauren because of something that came out that was tragic.
Gary took it to the next level and said, listen,
I'm not going to let this define me in our family.
(03:52):
We're going to take it to the next level with
shadow Proof. So can if I could indulge you and
for our listeners, could you tell us a story please?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yes.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
So.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
Gary Mendel is a founder and CEO of shatter Proof
and our nonprofit is technically headquartered in Connecticut. We do
have staff all over the country. Gary was raising his
family in Connecticut. His oldest son, Brian, became addicted to
alcohol and drugs in high school. And Gary is the founder.
(04:24):
He's an HI executive. For those in DC, you might
be familiar with some of the local hotels in the
area that all fall under HI, whether it's a Madison,
a Sheraton, or Weston. And I say that because he
had financial means to really look into Brian's health condition
(04:48):
and what kind of care he needed, and Gary felt lost.
There was a youth in the neighborhood down the street
who was going through cancer at the time, people were
doing bake sales and fundraising and Gary didn't really feel
that support for his family and he didn't feel like
he could talk to anyone. And he looked at types
(05:11):
of care. Was it residential, was it outpatient? Mental health medication?
And it's really often a confusing web for parents. His
son Brian went to ten different treatment programs in eight years.
Though Brian was substance free for thirteen months, sadly, he
(05:32):
felt a lot of shame from society. He felt like
an outcast and that led him to take his own life.
It was very heartbreaking for Gary, as you can imagine,
I'm also a parent. He left his role to travel
the country for four months to really understand to work
(05:56):
with the American Society of Addiction Medicine to look at
what research was being done, how it was being conducted,
and he found that a lot of research was buried
in medical journals. So he intended to take some time
a few months away from his business, and that actually
(06:18):
turned into him taking his pain and turning it into
passion to help others, and that's really how Shatterproof was born.
What Gary has done and along with our team, but
mainly obviously Gary is a visionary leader. Over ten years,
it's pretty remarkable. He established something called Shatterproof Treatment Atlas,
(06:43):
which is a free and confidential online platform where anyone
can search for care. Is available in fourteen states. We're expanding,
but we all know that people do travel to various
states for care as well. He did that because you
need to whether you yourself have a substance use disorder
(07:04):
or have a loved one, you need to be able
to find care that's appropriate and quality care, not everything
that comes up in your Google search is essentially appropriate.
So he did that in coronation with the American Society
of Addiction Medicine, he has established national principles of care.
(07:25):
He helped create a national Stigma Initiative, So if you
think about any stigmas that have existed in our society,
we really want to change hearts and minds and behaviors
about addiction and substance use disorder. And he has passed.
He has worked with our public policy team to help
(07:50):
pass more than thirty pieces of legislation, he has testified
in front of Congress, he has done extensive media interviews
and speaking events. So it's really incredible and remarkable what
shotter Proof has done within these ten years and now
looking at close to eleven and what.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Is possible for the future.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
The other thing that I would add is just we
know from the National Survey and Drug Use and Health
that the stats for people identifying as having a substance
use disorder has increased. So last year when you had
Kirsten on it was forty six million, it's now nearly
forty nine million. Less than five percent of people that
(08:38):
have a substance use disorder receive treatment, and that all
goes back to stigma. They don't feel like they can
talk about the help their health condition, that they feel isolated.
Some people with a substance use disorder might not get
support from friends and family members, so there's or they
might not get the support that they need from their
(09:02):
health professional, from their primary care physician. So this is
a really serious health concern. But also we have to
unite and address the pervasive shame and judgment towards this
medical condition and do more.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Well, that's well said, and I think there are so
many different buckets. There's also mental health and besides substance
abuse and addictions and everything. So I'm glad it's being addressed.
And while it's tragic with Gary losing a child, a boy,
he took the next step and has made something just
incredible over this last decade plus with his journey is
advocating with you, the team and everybody, and it's truly amazing.
Speaker 5 (09:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The other thing I was thinking about, Lauren as you
were talking about all that is that and I'm not
looking for you to clown government agencies or the current
medical state, because I know people can only go so far.
It's about resources and money. We all understand that as
anybody who works for living and has medical care of
an issue, or you know you need medication or you
(10:04):
need to see a psychologists psychiatrist. I could go on
about all the stuff we need, but it can only
go so far, right, And I imagine that when Gary
did his journey afterwards and the subsequent advocating, he must
have seen so many holes in the industry that probably
were pretty alarming, hence starting Shatterproof. And I imagine in
(10:25):
the handful of years that you've been with them, and
as you talk to the team in Gearing, everybody else
just how probably government and agencies and the medical industry
have fallen so short where you are now filling that gap.
Thank god for you guys. It's my point. But that's
why it's so great to talk to nonprofits like you,
because agencies, especially governments, can only go so far.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Right right, and this is.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
A health conditioned and important issue that it's really where
all sectors can come together. Our team recently spoke at SCHERM,
which is the Society for Human Resource Management Conference. It's
the biggest conference. They're twenty five thousand business and HR executives.
(11:13):
But we did that because we wanted to reach employers
because it's not only government, but employers need to be
able to provide a safe and recovery friendly workplace. One
of our partners is Hilton. They're working with us on
the walk. They were there at Shuram with us and
(11:36):
they have been doing that. But we need more agencies, corporations,
companies for profit companies really doing that to be inclusive
to people with its mental health, this health condition.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
You know, I want to talk a little bit about
data and I will I promise I won't quote you
in anything specific, but I imagine there are going to
be some numbers that you and your team look at
that and I'm just going to guess that are probably
pretty alarming. And I know there's all sorts of different
types of addictions, but whether it's the DMV or nationwide,
as you take a look at some of the data
that maybe you can share with us just to give
(12:14):
us kind of a grasp, but what we're all dealing with,
what do you have?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (12:20):
So I will tell you two things, and really specific
to the DC area. New data indicates that we have
lost the lives of two thousand Washingtonians in the past
five years due to substance use disorder and fetanyl, which
you can't smell. It is a small less than the
(12:47):
dime size, can ultimately cause a fatality. It is the
leading killer of people ages eighteen to forty nine. A
parent of a ten and a half year old, and
I've learned a lot in the two years that I
have been here, but it has been informative because I
(13:09):
think about my daughter entering middle school and high school
and what might be offered to her, or what might
be accessible intentionally and unintentionally. If you think of youth
that have depression or anxiety, they might be going on
(13:29):
a social platform to get a medication, whether it's a
sleeping pill or something else that they want to take
to help them, but in turn, they might get access
to a substance that is laced with fetanol, and so
they are dying and that is not what they intended
(13:50):
to do. That is a huge issue in our country,
and I know a lot of schools in this region
actually Montgomery County, have done speaking events and sent out
materials and resources and things like that. But there needs
to be more of a unifying partnership and more awareness
(14:15):
because I think people just aren't.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Aware, right. And we're both parents. We've talked about that.
I have a twenty two year old, so I've gone
through a lot of the stuff that you'll be going
through in the coming years. And listen, Lauren, it's scary.
It just is. And I want to get real with
all the parents because I know a lot of parents
think they're clued in, but here's how it goes. Folks
that if your kid happens to find drugs at a party,
(14:38):
maybe they're doing drugs with the kids at a party,
or they get it from somebody off the street. It
doesn't really matter how they get it, that they got
it and they don't know the origin of it. Fentanyl
can be in those drugs and they don't know whatsoever,
and it could be as simple as marijuana. And that
really is the kicker, folks, that you've got to talk
to your kids about. You know, first of all, try
(14:59):
not to do anything but the origin. When you don't
know where it's coming from, you can die. You can
have your best friend die and it'll be a mistake
and nobody will know it and it'll be a huge tragedy.
And this is happening with a lot of celebrities right now.
That's in the news over the last couple of years. Laurene.
I know you've read it. I've read it too, that
here about these fentonyl overdoses, and it is shocking. It
(15:21):
doesn't have to happen, But if you start doing drugs
where you don't know the origin of it, you're going
to put yourself in harms away. And that's kind of
where it starts right.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
And just to emphasize the stats that I mentioned and
really the seriousness of the issue, I mentioned you could
get access to it by purchasing a sleeping Pillar caffeine pill.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
It's involved in eighty four percent of drug related fatalities
for people between the ages of fifteen and nineteen, and
you can get something for twenty five dollars. So you
can think about just the the low cost of that,
but what that results in. And we know that more
(16:04):
than one hundred and fifty people are dying every day
from drug related fatalities related to fatanyl.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Yeah, it's pretty shocking stuff, but I'm glad you guys
are on the case and helping out and all the
things that you do. That leads me to my next question.
I think we've got everybody's attention here now saying, well,
this is really cool. I like what Shatterproof is doing.
How can I be a part of this? And maybe
I've got a loved one in my family or someday
I know a coworker, even myself about the criteria about
(16:33):
if I'm reaching out to you, how do I do that?
But also how can you help me? Can we talk
about that?
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Yeah, So there are several ways to get involved for
both advocacy and awareness efforts but also support. So I'll
start with. If you're looking to get involved with Shatterproof,
we have an Ambassador program, and this is a national
work of volunteers. Many of them are in the DC area.
(17:05):
They have lived experience with addiction, whether it's they were
impacted personally or with their family members or friends. We
have more than three thousand and four hundred ambassadors, so
besides DC, they're in every state in the US, and
there's an ambassador form on our website. You fill that out,
(17:28):
we'll be in touch with you and how you become involved.
As about an ambassador is really based on what you
want to offer.
Speaker 3 (17:38):
If it's testifying.
Speaker 4 (17:41):
On a government level, if it's working at table at
a community event, if it's taking part in a media
interview or writing a blog. There are plenty of opportunities.
It's also a great way to find your community, and
I think that's the hardest part when someone is either
(18:03):
in substance use, in recovery or loss a loved one,
they want to find this community of people that really
understand them, and that's the benefit of the Ambassador program.
There is also a National Addiction Memorial Will that we
have and that provides a safe space for people to
(18:26):
share stories and photos of loved ones lost to addiction.
I have learned from family members sometimes they don't necessarily
feel as though they can safely state the cause of
death in an obituary, and this really provides a platform
to do that. I will say that, notably, seventy percent
(18:47):
of visitors to the memorial are under the age of
forty five, with fifty percent under the age of thirty five.
So I think that really shows you just the significant
reach of the younger audience is and where this issue
is impacting what demographic the most. We have more than
(19:08):
thirty four hundred stories on that wall. The other thing
that people can do is share their story, and this
goes back to what I was saying about changing hearts
and minds. So your stories, when shared, can empower change
for addiction recovery. You can inspire others. Anytime we've done
(19:29):
a media interview, I have heard from someone in the
community that said, thank you, I checked into treatment that day,
I went and sought help. So there's really nothing like that,
just that life changing impact.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yeah, amazed. It's powerful, isn't it when you hear about it,
that you're not alone right right?
Speaker 4 (19:53):
And just from how you and I and the Ihearts
team has gotten involved. We have our walk coming up,
which I'm happy to talk about.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Yeah, please, why don't we go to the upcoming events please?
I'd love to. We have time to do that great.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
So that is happening on Saturday, October nineteenth. We are
at a new location this year, the Wharf, and that
is from eight to eleven am. It is a free event.
Of course, we welcome people to register, either individually or
form a team if they'd like to fundraise. We appreciate
(20:34):
their support, but we really want people to come out
and find their community. And the other unique aspect of
the walk this year, besides changing locations, is that we
just released a really important piece of research last week
in fact, which is called the Shatterproof Addiction Stigma Index.
(20:57):
And I will throw a few more that's out at you,
but basically, we surveyed eight thousand US adults and we
looked at various demographics that matched with all of our
walk markets, and we found that in DC specifically, so
(21:18):
within the DC metro region, seventy five percent of people
don't believe a person with substance use disorder is experiencing
a chronic medical illness, sixty seven percent are unwilling to
have a person with substance use disorder marry into their family,
(21:39):
fifty seven percent are unwilling to hire a person with
a substance use disorder, and fifty one percent are unwilling
to have a person with substance use disorder as a
close friend.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
So those are those are really larger.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Numbers, very large numbers. Yes, And so.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
I was saying at the beginning of the interview, all
our initiatives, our walk, our policy initiatives, our program, and
educational initiatives are all focused on how our society can prevent, treat,
and provide support for those with this medical condition. That
(22:20):
it's done with empathy and love, and it's not just now,
but it's for future generations. And the money from the Walk,
so more than seventy four percent of the funds goes
back to our mission, and we want to be sure
that everyone has access to evidence based and evidenced informed
(22:44):
interventions for substance use disorder.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
So I did want to ask you about another thing
when it comes to social media, younger people, but also
the media in general, because you know you as senior
director of Media and Public Relations, I mean, you're knee
deep in this and you talk to media agencies and
people like me all the time and you get interviewed,
but you also see what they're talking about and when
they're not talking about, and you have a good scope
(23:09):
of that. And so I'm not looking necessarily for an opinion,
but just overall because I'm seeing two different kinds of
things out there. I'm seeing celebrities, athletes, and my daughter's
peer group feeling very comfortable with talking about what you
and I have been talking about over the last twenty minutes.
And I'm happy about that because that stigma to your
point of what Chatterproof does is that shroud is starting
(23:31):
to be taken off. We'd like it probably a little
bit quicker, but it's coming off. But I'm curious when
it comes to the media as opposed to this young
generation who sometimes overshares, but I like that they're sharing.
How is the media overall treating addiction and what you're
trying to do out there. Are they on board or
(23:54):
is there something stopping them from really having the tough
talks and the conversations that we need to out there
able to relate to people to say this is real stuff.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Folks right, And I'm glad you brought that up because
September is recovery month, so we just had Recovery month,
and last year at this time, we did a panel
for media to really help them understand about substance use.
I think that the best thing that media can do
(24:22):
is be conscious about their language choice. So it's not
an abuse, it's a substance use disorder, the medical health condition.
Using words such as people first language, So a person
with substance use disorder, person with oipoid use disorder, person
(24:44):
with an alcohol use disorder. There's stigmatizing language that we're
all familiar with, and being able to be conscious about
your words will help and that will make an impact
and coverage.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
We hear people use clean.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
Substance free is a more appropriate choice of language.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
And I think that.
Speaker 4 (25:08):
The more media do this, the more people will change
their language and how they talk about it themselves, whether
it's on social or in social interactions, what have you.
But media can they're the ones that are disseminating information
(25:30):
on various platforms and that's really where they can be
the driving force.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Want you Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. Sorry
to interrupt you. I'm glad you brought that up because
it just reminds me about another nonprofit I've talked to
in the area and they're also partners with us, and
it's the prevention of suicide and they have some wonderful
people that work on it. Ellen is wonderful. I don't
know if you know her or not. She's I do
know her, Yeah, she is the best. But I learned
(25:57):
talking to her and getting on this program a couple
of years ago and we've started visiting regularly. It's not
commit suicide anymore. It's about language. It's about died by suicide.
And I think people have to realize this. You know,
people start, you know, accusing people of being woken some
other crap and stuff like that. Has nothing to do
with that, folks. It's about the appropriate language for just
twenty twenty four so we can all get on the
(26:19):
same page about what's happening. And that's really all it is.
It's not any agenda to make you say anything in
a specific way. It's just the appropriate thing to say.
But it also says what it is, so it can
be relatable to young people and the older people. And
so we're all on the same page. You know, we're
all going to use different kind of language that we
brought up with from our era, and I get all that,
(26:39):
but it's okay to grow learn and listen and what
the latest is and what people are really trying to
get the point across when it comes to the kind
of language we use. So I'm glad you brought that up.
I didn't mean to digress, but I've learned a lot
on this program over the last three or four years
about that a lot of language is changing all these areas,
and there's nothing wrong.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
With that, right, It's exactly it's choosing supportive, non judgmental
words that treat people with respect and compassion, which is.
Speaker 3 (27:08):
What we all want at the end of the day.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
And I think people need to understand that language really
improves outcomes. It improves outcomes for people living with a
substance use disorder, for people with mental health conditions, with
physical health conditions. It's really just that switch and change
in language that can make a big difference overall.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Well, listen, I could talk to you forever. You're wonderful.
We only have about a minut and a half of
so I want to have you recap everything and then
give the website at the end, because I'm sure people
have googled it for the people have it, and I
want you get that website at the end. But maybe
just some final thoughts Lauren on shadow Proof and moving forward.
But the floor is yours, please.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
The shatter prof vision is for no one to suffer
or die from substance use disorder, a disease that is treatable,
and we are here to help. In addition to our
Shatterproof Walk to end addiction stigma in the DC area itself,
we also have a team that we have formed for
(28:09):
the Marine Corps Marathon that's happening on October twenty seventh.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Our walk again.
Speaker 4 (28:15):
Is happening on October nineteenth, and that's at the Wharf.
The website to learn more about the walk and to
register is Shatterproofwalk dot org. Again, that's Shatterproofwalk dot org.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
Outstanding. Well, listen, thank you so much for this. I
really appreciate because I know how busy you are. Give
my best to Kirsten and the whole team. I'm thrilled
that Shadowproof and iHeart our partners because it's a really
big deal and it's a big issue and I'm glad
we're talking about it. And while you know, Gary went
through something very horrifying, he turned a scar into a star,
(28:55):
lost a child. But you know he's changing thousands and
thousands of lies in the memory of his son, and
there couldn't be any greater honor. So please give my
best to him too, and let's stay in touch. Yeah,
and thank you for everything. It's just wonderful what shadow
Proof and everybody's doing. And really really appreciate joining us
on Community DC.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Thank you again. We appreciate the exposure.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
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