Take Action
We need everyone in Georgia to help prevent the abuse and misuse of opioids. There are many ways you can take action:
Join the Statewide Opioid Task Force
Statewide Opioid Task Force
In 2016, 982 people in the State of Georgia died from an opioid-related drug overdose. To address this crisis head-on, Attorney General Chris Carr announced the creation of a Statewide Opioid Task Force in October 2017.
With this Task Force, the Attorney General seeks to provide an infrastructure of communication between organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to ensure we have effective tools to combat this issue that’s plaguing our state and nation. We must fight back harder, and we believe this platform will help us strengthen our state’s response and save lives.
Today, the Statewide Opioid Task Force includes more than 300 partners from the local, state and federal levels.
Join the Statewide Opioid Task Force by contacting the Department of Law’s Communications Director, Kara Richardson.
Statewide Opioid Task Force Members
Acadia Healthcare
Accenture
ADAPT Pharma
Administrative Office of the Courts
Aetna
Alliant Quality
American Academy of Pediatrics
Aniz Inc.
Anthem, Inc.
Appriss Health
Area Agency on Aging
Atlanta Metropolitan State College
Atlanta Police Department
Atlanta Technical College
Augusta University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response
CareSource
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery at Kennesaw State University
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
City of Augusta
City of Brunswick
CNHI
Cobb County
CopernicusMD
Council of Accountability Court Judges
Council on Alcohol and Drugs
Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Cumming First United Methodist Church
CVS Health
Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Free Fayette Coalition
Dunwoody Police Department
Emory University
Fannin County
FBI Atlanta
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Flagler County Drug Court Foundation
Forsyth County
Fort Valley Department of Public Safety
FrogueClark
Fulton County Commissioner
Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals
Georgia Association of Broadcasters
Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police
Georgia Association of Health Plans
Georgia State Board of Pharmacy
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Georgia Composite Medical Board
Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
Georgia Dental Association
Georgia Department of Administrative Services
Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Georgia Department of Community Health
Georgia Department of Community Supervision
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia Department of Highway Safety
Georgia Department of Public Health
Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency
Georgia General Assembly
Georgia Health Policy Center at Georgia State University
Georgia High School Association
Georgia Hospital Association
Georgia News Network
Georgia Nurses Association
Georgia Office of the Child Advocate
Georgia Opioid State Targeted Response
Georgia Pharmacy Association
Georgia Poison Control Center
Georgia Prevention Project
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Retail Association
Georgia Sheriffs’ Association
Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Georgia Society of Interventional Pain Physicians
Georgia State Firefighters Association
Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
Goldenpoint MD
GPA Treatment of Macon, Inc.
Grace Tabernacle Ministries
Grady Health System
Guardian Pharmacy
Haydon Consulting
Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
Highland Rivers Health
InsiderAdvantage
Intent Solutions
Kaiser Permanente
Mako Medical Laboratories
McGuireWoods
McKesson
Medical Association of Georgia
Metro Atlanta Chamber
Michigan State University
Moeller and Associates
Mohawk Industries
Morehouse School of Medicine
Myers and Stauffer
National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities
Northside Hospital
Northwest Family YMCA
Office of House Speaker David Ralston
Our Kinship Village
Peachford Hospital
Peachtree NORML
Preston Group
Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia
Realty4Rehab
Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center
Sober Peer
Southern Strategy Group
Spring Up
State Bar of Georgia
State Board of Education
State Board of Workers’ Compensation
Steed Media Group
Still Waters Outreach
Street Grace
Summit Spine and Joint Centers
Technical College System of Georgia
The Mullins Companies
Thompson Victory Group
Tift Regional Medical Center
Total Spectrum
Troup County Prevention Coalition
Troutman Pepper
Truetlen County
Tumlin Group
U.S. Army
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Justice
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
University System of Georgia
Voices for Prevention
Walgreens
WRDW-TV News 12
Hold an Outreach Event
We encourage parent groups, educators, coaches, businesses, the faith community, the medical community, law enforcement, service organizations and others to plan and hold DOSE OF REALITY outreach events to raise awareness at a local level.
Ideas for Outreach Events
These are just a few event ideas to get you started. Be inspired and creative in your efforts, and look at how to engage the target audience as you plan. Make use of the DOSE OF REALITY materials to keep the message unified, consistent and relevant.
DOSE OF REALITY information table
- Find out if you can set up an information table at your local schools, churches, community events, sporting events, festivals or fairs
- Promote the event via posters and social media
- Download relevant brochures, flyers and posters from the Ordering Portal
DOSE OF REALITY Day
Host a DOSE OF REALITY DAY at your business, school or community organization to raise awareness of the issue of substance abuse and how to prevent it.
What You May Need:
Order and download one of the DOSE OF REALITY Outreach Kits appropriate for your audience. Select and download other relevant materials for use.
What You Can Do:
- Choose a day and promote it via email, website or social media
- Put up posters in advance with the date of the event
- Set up an information table using the materials listed above
- Invite someone from the medical or treatment community to talk about the signs of addiction, what to do if you need help, and how to prevent abuse
- Invite the local media to cover the awareness day
- Place a link to DoseOfRealityGA.org on your organization’s website, and/or a link to the Drug Take Back section and encourage people to properly dispose of unwanted and unused medication
Other Ideas
Essay, poster, art or video contest: encourage youth or students to participate in a contest to create a piece that helps support the DOSE OF REALITY prevention message in their own school, church or community. Involve your local media outlets. The winning entry(ies) can be displayed prominently at high-profile venues throughout the community and shared via social media and local media outlets.
Community sporting event: organize a community-wide sporting event (i.e. walk, run, volleyball, basketball or football game) in which players or teams are sponsored to raise awareness. Money raised through fees or donations can be donated to local substance abuse, mental health or recovery organization(s).
DOSE OF REALITY Town Hall: host a community town hall with a panel of local leaders, professionals from the medical and/or substance abuse field, youth leaders, parents, or law enforcement where members of the community can ask questions of the panel and get more information about opioid and narcotic addiction and prevention.
Drug Take Back Event: partner with the officials in charge of your local permanent Drug Take Back location to host a Drug Take Back Event at your venue or to select a day for another local Take Back Event, encouraging people to visit their local Drug Take Back location (NOTE: be sure to work with an official Drug Take Back partner for this event! DO NOT attempt to collect unused or unwanted medications on your own.)