Team Sharing and The Opioid Epidemic, with founder Cheryl Juaire
Hey guys. I’m back to blogging and posting podcasts. I was out of the loop a bit due to a respiratory virus and work but getting back on track this week. Expect several podcasts in the next few weeks and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter or follow on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook so you don’t miss an episode. I post the links faster there than I do on this blog. That said, I’m really excited to share this episode with you. Not only is it a timely topic that covers one of the most pressing public health crises of our time, but it’s a powerful story of hope: a story of how one woman who experienced tremendous loss and grief was able to build something beautiful out of it. That beautiful thing is Team Sharing.
In this episode of Causes or Cures, I chat with Cheryl Juaire, founder of Team Sharing, INC. Cheryl will discuss Team Sharing, a not-for-profit for parents who have lost their kids to substance abuse disorder, including opioids, and why she started it. She will talk about what it was like to navigate loss and grief after losing two of her sons to the opioid epidemic and how Team Sharing helps parents and family members navigate through grief. She will also discuss what she thinks the public health response to the opioid epidemic should look like, and she will talk about what it was like to personally address the Sackler Family, owners of the disgraced pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma that led a wide and false marketing campaign that misinformed patients and providers about the addictive potential of prescribed opioids. She was able to address the family face-to-face and talks about what that felt like and their response.
After the podcast (or before) I encourage everyone to check out the Team Sharing website. It is a great organization doing a lot of good in the world. The thing I love about it is that it started as a grassroots, public-health initiative and is now exploding. While public health initiatives are often linked to national organizations and the federal level, I personally think that small, community or individual-led initiatives about issues they care about is where we will see the greatest benefit. You can listen to the podcast with Cheryl here.
In addition to this podcast on the opioid epidemic, grief and Team Sharing, definitely check out some of the other episodes. There’s this one here on what indigenous populations can teach us (the “civilized” world) about preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia. Then there’s this one with an economist professor at Princeton University on what really fueled the opioid epidemic. She talks about what frequently gets blamed versus what actually caused it.
Anyhow, hope you guys tune in to this episode and others. If you have any suggestions for topics or guests, contact me through here or email me: erin@bloomingwellness.com.
Thanks and have a great rest of your day!
Eeks