ABOUT

In 2016, news about the opioid crisis dominated American media, but horror over the growing number of fentanyl and heroin overdoses was causing the public to turn a blind eye to another major contributor to the crisis-prescription opioids. The US consumes 80% of the global prescription opioid supply, even though we are just 5% of the world's population. And 4 in 5 heroin addictions begins with prescription opioids. Thus, solving the prescription opioid problem is essential to ending the opioid epidemic.
To humanize the crisis, NSC turned data into faces-engraving the faces of the 22,000 moms, dads, sons, and daughters that die each year from prescription opioid overdoses onto 22,000 pills. These pills formed a powerful installation, a memorial that told stories on an individual level, painted a picture of the lives lost, and put a face to the problem. A new pill was added to the memorial every 24 minutes, to dramatize how often a person dies of a prescription opioid overdose. Visitors could participate in person and online by adding their lost loved ones' stories. After bringing people face-to-face with the problem, NSC gave them a way to take action starting with another statistic: 1 out of 3 prescription opioid users don't even know their medication includes an opioid. A simple insurance card sticker prompted conversation with medical professionals, just one small step toward preventing another 22,000 deaths.