We invite you to join the Mississippi Harm Reduction Initiative and many other organizations and individuals in recovery and supporting recovery for the 2024 Mississippi Recovery Day on Feb. 22 at the Mississippi State Capitol. There is strength in numbers, and your participation is essential to show a unified recovery community in Mississippi. Families as Allies is excited to be a part of Recovery Day because we know families in our organization are affected by substance use, and we want to learn how we can support our children and each other.
Recovery Day starts with a press conference at 9:30 on the south Capitol Steps. There is also a recovery meeting for those in recovery at 8 AM. You can register here or email Jason McCarty for more details at Jason@msharmreduction.org.
One item in particular we will focus on at Recovery Day is House Bill 1137.
H.B. 1137, if passed, proposes to get life-saving treatment for opiate overdoses to more people by allowing community organizations to distribute Narcan. The bill has to come up in committee for a vote to move on. You can contact Committee Chair Sam Creekmore IV with your feedback on whether House Bill 1137 should proceed. You can leave him a message at the Capitol Switchboard at (601) 359-3770 or the contact info on his bio: (662)534-9280 (work) or screekmore@house.ms.gov. You can also visit him at the Capitol on Recovery Day.
Make sure you tell him your message is about House Bill 1137 because he has a lot of bills to keep up with right now. Remember that legislators are very busy this time of year and may not regularly check email. Contacting Chairman Creekmore in person or by phone is also an excellent opportunity to thank him for his ongoing focus on improving mental health services in Mississippi. Letting him know any real-world experiences you have with opiate overdoses or Narcan will also help him and the committee learn more about the practical implications of this bill.
