Phoenix Rising of Winston Salem, Inc arose out of the ashes of a community devastated by the he**in crisis. By 2017, it was at least 1 person every day. Kerri Sigler - then a Public Defender - saw the numbers of young he**in addicts she represented skyrocket. And the number of young he**in addicts she and others in the criminal justice system saw die - leaving behind grieving parents and children
- skyrocketed, too. Sigler noticed that over half of the addicts she represented became addicted first to legitimately prescribed medications like Percocet, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Oxy, and Hyrdo. Deciding that no one should die because they went to their doctor, Sigler made it her mission to re-establish the Adult Drug Treatment Court Forsyth County once had, but lost when the funding dried up. Sigler decided to establish a private non-profit that would fund Drug Court through private and corporate tax-deductible donations; fund treatment for those who could not otherwise afford it; and launch awareness campaigns to prevent addictions before they start. Out of the ashes of a crisis, Phoenix Rising was born. Donations to Phoenix Rising of Winston Salem fund three main programs:
DRUG COURT. Drug court requires a court coordinator to manage the various players in the drug court treatment model: judges, lawyers, probation officers, treatment team, and participants. That person requires a modest salary of $55,000/year (which includes the cost of benefits). Because the Court Coordinator is vital to the effective running of Drug Court, donations to Phoenix Rising go first to fund that position. Drug Court also requires drug test kits that are expansive enough to differentiate between op**tes and the treatments to op**tes, like Methadone. Given the projected number of Drug Court participants, these tests will cost an estimated $10,000/year. Drug Court seeks to have these tests donated to the extent possible, but when not possible, donations to Phoenix Rising will fund the purchase of testing kits. Medicaid covers most drug treatment for its recipients, although the fate of Medicaid is uncertain. Those covered by private insurance or no insurance are generally not able to obtain treatment because it is cost-prohibitive. Donations to Phoenix Rising will cover the cost of treatment for qualified recipients both in and out of Drug Court as donations allow. No one should have to commit a crime, or be on Medicaid, to get the addiction treatment they need. AWARENESS & PREVENTION. Most people don't know that most he**in addicts get there off of Rx meds prescribed by their doctors. Most people don't know that 20% of people who take just 10 op**te medications become addicted. Just 10 pills. Most people don't know that narcotics are not antibiotics: you DON'T have to take the full number prescribed to you. Most people don't know that "gifting" your unused narcotics to a friend who "needs" them is handing them a loaded gun. Phoenix Rising seeks to launch awareness campaigns featuring personal stories of addiction to inform the public of the dangers of op**te addiction and how to avoid it. Most of our awareness campaigns will not require additional funding, but donations to Phoenix Rising will - to a limited extent - assist in funding those that do.
