*****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*****
DATE: October 23-27, 2017
LOCATION:
Mt. Juliet Middle School
3565 N Mt. Juliet Road
Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Brian Sullivan
Director of Public Relations
Vertava Health
205 Reidhurst Ave.
Nashville, TN 37203
P: 901.949.7926
Jennifer Johnson
Public Information Officer
Wilson County Schools
351 Stumpy Lane
Lebanon, TN 37090
P: 615.203.4158
Captain Tyler Chandler
Public Information Officer
Mt. Juliet Police Department
1019 Charlie Daniels Pkwy
Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
P: 615.754.3904
Vertava Health Partners with Mt. Juliet Police Department, Mt. Juliet Middle School for Red Ribbon Week
MT. JULIET, Tenn. (Oct. 19, 2017) – Vertava Health, nationwide leader in alcoholism, substance use disorder and mental health treatment, announces they are partnering with Mt. Juliet Middle School and the Mt. Juliet Police Department for Red Ribbon Week, an alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign observed annually in October.
“Preventing drug misuse and overdoses is an integral part of our organization’s approach to combatting the opioid epidemic,” says Vertava Health’s Director of Public Relations Brian Sullivan. “Overdose is a very REAL issue facing our children, and we want to do everything we can to equip them with the tools and coping mechanisms they need so that we don’t see them later in life. We are so honored that Mt. Juliet Middle School and Police Department are giving us this opportunity.”
Events are scheduled throughout the week of October 23-27 centered around prevention education and community involvement with the youth attending Mt. Juliet Middle School. Vertava Health has lined up several speakers who have experienced personally the first hand effects of overdose.
Speaker Schedule
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
9:10am CST
6th grade class
Brian Sullivan
Director of Public Relations
Vertava Health
Thursday, October 26, 2017
9:10am CST
7th grade class
Richard Darden
Middle Tennessee Market Director
Vertava Health
Thursday, October 26, 2017
6:30pm CST
Parents
John Mabry
Director of Public Outreach
Vertava Health
Friday, October 27, 2017
9:10am CST
8th grade class
Richard Darden
Middle Tennessee Market Director
Vertava Health
Media Inquiries:
To request permission to be on school grounds, or to schedule an interview with Mt. Juliet Middle School, contact Wilson County Schools Public Information Officer Jennifer Johnson at [email protected] or 615.203.4158.
To schedule an interview with Mt. Juliet Police Department, contact Mt. Juliet Police Department Public Information Officer Captain Tyler Chandler at [email protected] or 615.754.3904.
To schedule an interview with Vertava Health or any of the speakers listed, contact Vertava Health’s Director of Public Relations Brian Sullivan at [email protected] or 901.949.7926
Speakers
After one year with Vertava Health, Brian Sullivan was promoted by Chief Marketing Officer Eric Mitchell from Public Relations Manager to Director of Public Relations. Before hiring with Vertava Health, Sullivan served over a decade in the television industry, with over 20 years experience as a print and broadcast journalist. He oversees all media communications, community projects, publicity campaigns and public marketing strategy for Vertava Health and all of its affiliates. Sullivan is an Emmy Award Winning producer, writer, lobbyist, activist and marketing strategist. He is active in several campaigns raising awareness in addiction treatment, equality and mental health care. He won the 2016 Nashville Emerging Leader of the Year Award. He is an active member of the Prevention Alliance of Tennessee, the Williamson County Anti-Drug Coalition, the Memphis Area Prevention Alliance, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Facing Addiction, Fed Up!, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Center for Nonprofit Management, Music City Theatre Company, LGBTQI Nashvillians of Faith, Covenant of the Cross Ministries, the American Civil Liberties Union, The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the Tennessee Equality Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Campaign Nashville, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and the Nashville Filmmakers Guild. Sullivan is a proud donor of the Memphis Hope House, Nashville Cares, Covenant Cupboard Food Pantry and Second Harvest Food Bank.
John Mabry serves as Director of Public Outreach for Vertava Health. He comes to the organization after graduating from Vertava Health Texas. After having such a positive experience, John knew immediately he had to be a part of the growing company’s success. He experienced firsthand the amount of quality time and attention our treatment center’s staff puts into each and every client. John overdosed many times on prescription painkillers and found his brother deceased of a cocaine overdose. Mabry is an inventor, actor and stuntman with 11 years in the Screen Actors Guild. He is also a triathlete. He accomplished all these feats after losing his leg below the knee in a car accident. John is also a Spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, whose fundraising efforts serve to get people with physical disabilities access to sports. His acting and non-profit work have been featured in People magazine and USA Today. Mabry has been married for 12 years and has three kids.
Richard Darden joins Vertava Health’s Business Development team as the new Southeast Regional Director, based out of Charlotte, TN. Darden brings to Vertava Health years of experience in the treatment industry, including a background in adolescent counseling, business development work with other treatment facilities, and owner of Help & Hope Recovery Solutions.
Wilson County Overdose Facts
- 24 total overdose deaths in 2016
- Overdose death rate is 25.6 per 100,000 people
- 253 outpatient nonfatal overdoses in 2015
- 121 inpatient nonfatal overdoses in 2015
- 138,547 painkiller prescriptions in 2016
- In 2016, Wilson County had 27 opioid overdose deaths
- In 2016, Wilson County had 5 heroin overdose deaths
- In 2015, Wilson County had 27 outpatient visits involving all opioid overdose excluding heroin
- In 2015, Wilson County had 27 inpatient stays involving all opioid overdose excluding heroin
- In 2015, Wilson County had one inpatient stay involving heroin overdose and 15 outpatient visits involving heroin overdose
ABOUT ADDICTION CAMPUSES:
Vertava Health provides the most comprehensive addiction treatment program in the country by going beyond the standard 30-day plan and treating persons struggling with addiction mentally and spiritually to break the cycle of repeated visits to treatment. Utilizing our addiction campus environment we have the depth of caring staff, industry experience and clinical proficiency to effectively treat the disease of addiction for life. Vertava Health’s admissions center is trained to assess and place the client into one of the Vertava Health treatment centers across the country within a one-hour time frame. This speed in service delivery and thorough commitment to the client long term allows the person struggling with addiction to get quickly on the road to recovery and create a life that’s worth living.
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