By Jamelia R. Hand MHS CASC CODP I Nick ran the outpatient pharmacy at Jackson Park Hospital in a way that never felt transactional. Patients would walk up to the counter with a prescription, but what they were really bringing with them was a story. Some were doing well and just needed a refill. Others were barely holding it together and trying to make it through another day without using. Nick knew the difference without needing a chart in front of him. He paid attention to patterns, to...

By Jamelia Hand MHS CADC CODP I Dr. Lipi Roy MD, MPH, FASAM We were both in tears… That’s what happened when Dr. Lipi Roy described the moment she told me about Janet. And honestly, I understood immediately why. Janet wasn’t who people expect when they hear a story about addiction. By the time Dr. Roy met her, she was in recovery from opioid use disorder/heroin. She had been a nurse and had lost her license during her addiction. She was also doing the work to rebuild her life. She had...

By Jamelia Hand MHS CADC CODP I Marin Nelson, Founder & CEO Sobrynth The first thing Marin Nelson remembers about the morning she decided to stop drinking was the quiet. She was standing in her kitchen in Brooklyn, the early light just beginning to come through the window. The night before was a blur. Another blackout. Another morning waking up unsure what had happened. But this time the fear felt different. For the first time, she realized clearly that if something did not change, alcohol...