VALLEY CITY – The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation is holding a special screening of "The Opioid Epidemic: Seeking Solutions in North Dakota" at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in the Hi-Liner Activity Center Lobby at Valley City High School.
The Caring Foundation partnered with Prairie Public Broadcasting to produce the 30-minute documentary, receiving additional support from Dakota Medical Foundation and Bell Bank.
"The Opioid Epidemic" addresses the impact of opioid misuse and addiction on North Dakota communities, featuring personal stories, efforts to address the problem and calls to action. The Caring Foundation is using the documentary as a tool to actively engage North Dakotans in solutions.
The Valley City-Barnes County Committee on Addiction is co-hosting the screening, which will be followed by a discussion. It's free and open to the public, with doors opening at 5:30. The trailer is available at www.BCBSND.com/opioidepidemic.
Featured individuals
The documentary features the following individuals:
- Chris Myers, U.S. attorney for the state of North Dakota
- Leann Bertsch, director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- North Dakota First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum
- Mike and Mary Beth Traynor, Fargo parents who lost their 25-year-old son, Matthew, to addiction
- Shila Stiefel, a Bismarck resident in recovery who helps others struggling with addiction at Heartview Foundation in Bismarck
- Dr. Lisa Faust, BCBSND senior medical director
- Andy McLean, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the UND School of Medicine and former medical director for the North Dakota Department of Human Services
- Jennifer Reid, addiction and mental health counselor
- Melissa Henke, Heartview Foundation medical director
- Joe Moran, a Fargo resident in recovery
