Prescribed to Death
"Prescribed to Death" is an incredible exhibit created by the National Safety Council that is in Pittsburgh for only a few days. We went to see it on its opening day, but it will be gone after February 2. It's on view at the University of Pittsburgh, on the ground floor of the William Pitt Union (campus map here labeled "WPU"). The exhibit has a compelling and very moving message: putting a face on the fatality statistics generated by the opioid epidemic. To this end, someone very gifted came up with a unique memorial. A machine carved little white pills individually with faces to represent each of the 22,000 Americans who die annually from opioid addiction.
They are displayed in a tight grid, and seeing them all together brings the viewer some comprehension of the magnitude of the tragedy. You have to look very, very closely to see the exquisite detail of the carvings. The faces are each one of 50 composite images, meant to represent with numerical accuracy the kinds of people impacted in terms of race, gender, and age. It soon becomes obvious- it's all of us, male, female, all ages, all races. Here and there are a few unique faces of real people whose families offered to share their stories, centered above their first names. With a smartphone you can access these stories as you move through the exhibit.
They are displayed in a tight grid, and seeing them all together brings the viewer some comprehension of the magnitude of the tragedy. You have to look very, very closely to see the exquisite detail of the carvings. The faces are each one of 50 composite images, meant to represent with numerical accuracy the kinds of people impacted in terms of race, gender, and age. It soon becomes obvious- it's all of us, male, female, all ages, all races. Here and there are a few unique faces of real people whose families offered to share their stories, centered above their first names. With a smartphone you can access these stories as you move through the exhibit.
Signs explain that almost all of these addictions begin with a doctor's prescription, and a shocking number of patients are never told that their prescription is an opioid. They are not people who are seeking to abuse drugs, but our friends, family and neighbors who suffer injuries or have surgeries, and are told this is what they need to temporarily manage their pain. To this end, the National Safety Council is giving away free stickers which anyone can place on their insurance and pharmacy cards which say "WARN ME ABOUT OPIOIDS", to hopefully prompt conversations with doctors or pharmacists before any prescriptions are filled. (WHY WHY WHY for the love of all things that are holy are they still routinely prescribing these??? Can't we all just agree these are definitely a last resort, not to be prescribed without tons of warning and proper monitoring?) They are also distributing postage-paid envelopes in which leftover medication can be safely be sent in to a pharmaceutical disposal company for proper disposal. (Landfills are not designed to protect against hazardous chemicals and drugs from seeping into our groundwater, and wastewater treatment plants likewise are unable to filter them out.) Pennsylvania also has established permanent Prescription Drug Take-Back Locations.
The gracious folks from the National Safety Council who are welcoming visitors to the exhibit answered every question I posed, and expressed some surprise to hear that we came despite having nothing to do with the university. They positively beamed to see a mother bringing a teen. Jasper was fascinated and agreed it was a very memorable experience. Hours and details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2052130658399657/.
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