Hoosier mom honored for efforts to address substance use disorder
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAn Indiana mom is on a mission to turn her young son’s drug overdose into a campaign to save lives.
USA Today recently celebrated its 2024 Women of the Year, naming one inspirational woman from each state, and Indiana’s honoree is a mom who turned her grief into action.
Justin Phillips has helped move mountains in Indiana’s opioid epidemic, but the progress came at a devastating price; her son, Aaron, died 11 years ago when he overdosed on heroin.
Aaron was a sophomore and the starting quarterback for the Lawrence North High School football team when his life was cut short by an overdose. After his death, Phillips began searching for what she could have done differently. At an Indianapolis police roundtable about heroin. She heard for the first time about the overdose reversal drug, Naloxone.
“I learned about Naloxone, and I learned that something could have saved Aaron’s life,” said Phillips, who had never heard of it, even when Aaron was in treatment.
“When Aaron left treatment, they didn’t talk to us about the likelihood of his potentially using again, which is very real; It takes seven times often for people to go to treatment before it actually works,” she said. “They didn’t talk to us about that. They didn’t talk to us about Naloxone being something that we should consider having on hand. So when I went to that meeting and learned about Naloxone, I was like, ‘Really? Are you kidding? We need to do something.'”
At the time, Naloxone required a prescription, creating a major roadblock. Phillips became a champion in Indiana for passing Aaron’s Law in 2015, which allows any person to get Naloxone.
Each month, 24,000 doses are prepped by Overdose Lifeline, the not-for-profit founded by Phillips. The doses are sent all over the state, stocking boxes and vending machines to make it as easy to get as possible.
Because she lost Aaron so young and knows 90% of addiction start during the teen years, a second mission of Overdose Lifeline is connecting with youth. The organization created Camp Mariposa, a year-round camp experience for kids and teens who have a family member with substance use disorder.
Overdose Lifeline has created several other prevention programs; the latest is for babies. The organization recently opened Heart Rock, a recovery house in Indianapolis for pregnant women and moms with substance use disorder.
“We have eight babies over there that are all going to crawl at the same time, and these kids are having a different chance,” Phillips said. “And I think between Heart Rock and Camp Mariposa, I believe we’re going to potentially really be able to change the trajectory for substance use disorder for kids, ,and that would be where my heart lies the most.”
Being named among USA Today’s Women of the Year honors a decade’s worth of turning tragedy into change, she said.
“[It’s] very bittersweet, because I’d trade it all for Aaron. Were it not for Aaron, there’s a lot of things that I wouldn’t have in my life today that I feel grateful for. So it’s just an honor and a privilege, and I do it for all the all the kids and all the moms and dads.”