If you’ve been following our blogs then you are well aware of the widespread addiction issues that have been happening throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Every region has chosen to deal with this in their own way and it is worth noting that Massachusetts is one of the states coming at it the hardest. Thanks to the support of Governor Charlie Baker, their Department of Public Health has now put out a massive awareness campaign to help get people into treatment.
Dubbed “State Without StigMA” (or #StateWithoutStigMA on social media), the large scale initiative includes a newly built website, public service announcement videos, Facebook pages and a whole lot more. The goal is to create open discussions about dependency issues and provide people with the proper resources to overcome them. Governor Baker is so passionate about this project that he held a major press conference to announce it.
“As we continue to fight COVID-19, we remain aware of the impact the pandemic has had on the recovery community and residents struggling with addiction,” Baker told local news outlets. “Building on the Commonwealth’s previous efforts to reduce the stigma around addiction, we are proud to launch the next phase of #StateWithoutStigMA to encourage people to seek the treatment they need and deserve, especially in these uniquely challenging times.”
$575,000 has been set aside to promote the campaign through advertising. Between now and February 2021, all of Massachusetts’ major cities will receive billboards, newspaper ads and digital videos attached to their websites. There will also be television commercials and targeted social media ads for people throughout the state.
Everything that’s advertised will drive to the official campaign website. From there, people can read in-depth articles about recovery, download promotion materials to share on their social media pages and get in direct contact with treatment specialists. All of State Without StigMA’s videos are available on the main page as well, including this 30-second overview PSA.
And according to the press release, this may only be the beginning. Governor Baker explained that he is 100 percent committed to reducing the amount of addictions and overdoses in his state. His hope is that local citizens and business owners will soon follow suit, helping to take State Without StigMA to a more grassroots level with signage posted in homes and shops across Massachusetts.
We certainly applaud the effort and are hopeful that it will spark similar movements across the U.S.
