National Safety Council Memorial to Victims of Opioid Overdose Travels to the White House

The National Safety Council has partnered with the Executive Office of the President, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to bring the Council's opioid memorial to the Ellipse in President's Park at the White House April 12-18. The memorial, called “Prescribed to Death,” personalises the opioid crisis, an issue President Trump declared a public health emergency last fall.  The memorial was created with creative agency partner Energy BBDO and first launched in Chicago in November 2017.

The purpose of the memorial is to illuminate the stories of those lost to opioid addiction, and equip people with information and tools to prevent future devastation of lives. The exhibit includes a memorial wall made of pills – carved with faces that represent the 22,000 people lost last year

Since launching in Chicago, the memorial has travelled to Pittsburgh, Atlanta and now Washington, D.C. The memorial opens to the public tomorrow, but at today’s press event, the National Safety Council asked lawmakers to double down on existing policies, expand others and implement new actions around prevention, prescribing practices, treatment, and data collection.

“The National Safety Council commends Congress and the Administration for taking a number of actions to address the crisis in our medicine cabinets,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “However, this epidemic needs even more aggressive intervention. We hope that putting a face on the statistics of the thousands lost to this epidemic inspires a greater sense of urgency.”

"President Trump and his entire Administration are committed to combating the opioid 'crisis next door' on all fronts and with every community across the nation. The decision to bring the memorial to Washington is part of President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's efforts to raise awareness about the crisis and to make us each part of solution," said Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to the President.