Bringing Together Faith and Science Leaders to Combat the Overdose Crisis

Faith leaders provide critical support for individuals, families, and communities impacted by substance use disorders, and they are ideally positioned to raise awareness and prompt action. Faith leaders can use their unique and powerful platform to shatter the stigma that all too often keeps addiction in the shadows and blocks access to supportive resources. However, their contribution, and untapped promise, as a means to address harms arising from substance use disorders has often been overlooked.

President Bill Clinton is convening leaders from across the faith and public health communities to take action on the overdose crisis in 2022 and beyond. This work is more important than ever before, with more than 100,000 individuals dying from a drug overdose in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, the most of any year on record.

Through a partnership of the Clinton Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and The Centre for Responsible Leadership, national science and faith leaders will convene to explore the promise of a collaborative relationship, reduce stigma about addiction, educate about prevention, treatment, and recovery, and advance policies and programs that save lives.

Faith and Science Leaders Will Meet on Tuesday, February 1

The next convening hosted by President Clinton will be held on Tuesday, February 1, 1–2 p.m. EST, and will focus on how leaders from faith and science can work to end the stigma of addiction and reverse a dangerous trend of increasing overdose deaths. The conversation will be moderated by Patrick J. Kennedy, Former U.S. Representative, Lead Author, Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Federal Parity Law), Founder of The Kennedy Forum, co-chair of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19, and co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Behavioral Health Integration Task Force; and will feature Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, Acting Commissioner of the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports; and Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Senior Rabbi of New York City’s Park East Synagogue and human rights activist.