The Christine Ortoll Charity provides hope by producing powerful media to inspire change for those who are battling mental illness and substance abuse.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARYCOC is a nonprofit organization, 501(C)3, which is dedicated to creating media content that inspires and provides hope for individuals suffering from mental illness and substance abuse.
1. Vision and Mission:
Vision: To build a world where individuals suffering from mental illness and substance abuse finds courage and support through media.
Mission: To create impactful media content that educates and empowers individuals, as well as its community where healing, acceptance, and growth become a reality.
2. Target Market and Audience:
Our primary target audience includes individuals suffering from mental illness and substance abuse, along with their families and support networks. Per PEW Research Group, one in two Americans has a loved one affected by this disease.
Additonally, we seek to reach healthcare professionals, educators, and policymakers to drive awareness and understanding of these issues.
3. Products and Services: A Short Films and Documentaries:
We will produce compelling short films and documentaries that shed light on the struggles and triumphs of people batling mental illness and substance abuse. These films will emphasize strength, recovery, and hope. Quality over quantity.
1) "One Second at a Time (OSAAT)" Battling the Monster of Addiction is a feature documentary which shares Christine Ortoll’s struggle for recovery, told from her own journals and by those who supported her, including family, close friends, and professionals over ten years and at over twenty treatment centers until she passed from a fentanyl overdose in November 2020. It has won nineteen film festival awards to date and is considered a powerful film on the disease of addiction and how it affects all those involved including the family and community.
2) Safety Net (SN)- Helping College Students in Recovery Thrive- will be released in the FALL of 2023 and shared with all higher education institutions in the US to educate, inspire and help raise funds to develop college recovery at all campuses.
There is a great need for college recovery programs (CRP), as today 24% of all students in college meet the medical definition of substance abuse (per the latest CASA study), yet less than 5% of all higher education has a CRP. There are over 20 million students in college, and therefore, this is our biggest initatve as it represents our future leaders.
SN showcases the success we had at my alma mater Florida State University (FSU) to build one of the country’s leading college recovery programs (CRP). We engaged with 1,157 students and forty graduated in recovery this last year. We had the champions within the administration, student body and with graduate assistants. The game changer was the idea of involving Greeks, as they are the largest student population and most at risk to misuse. My fraternity, Sigma Chi, embraced and accepted this opportunity to serve and other fraternities and sororities followed their lead.
Our charity works with two leading associations; Safe Project- Safe Campus and Assn of Recovery for Higher Education (ARHE) supporting our efforts as well as my fraternity, Sigma Chi, to provide resources to college students seeking recovery.
3) Inspirational Stories which provide hope via redemption.
Jane Dwyer Lee’s SECOND CHANCE Released midsummer 2024 and can be viewed on our charity website. It has received tremendous reviews from FSU’s College of Social Work, the recovery community, all those batling this disease and their loved ones. Jane Dwyer Lee- Teaching Professor at FSU- College of Social Work, and in recovery. Jane's background in clinical social work and teaching includes behavioral health, substance use, gender & women's studies. She has received numerous awards for her teaching and service.
We will endeavor to continue shooting inspirational stories at least quarterly.
TWO ADDITIONAL INTIATIVES TO PREVENT EARLY ADDICTION (ELEMENTARY SCHOOL)
In primary schools we need to better inform parents, teachers, and pediatricians, on the causes of childhood trauma, so we can help prevent chronic diseases, such as addiction and raise children which are emotionally, mentally, and physically healthy.
Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic events that occur during childhood. They have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being, and opportunity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood.”
The problem is most people are unaware of what Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are and how they
lead to toxic stress and lifelong problems with wellness, and learning.
Over 2/3 of all children in the US are affected by ACEs and 1 out of 8 adults has 4 or more ACEs. This issue is embedded in our society and unfortunately worsening. As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for negative health outcomes, both physical and psychological.
Our aim is to educate parents, teachers, and children so we can deal with these in a healthy way early, since the leading two are divorce and economic hardship which impact over half of all children in the US.
REFORM ADDICTION TREATMENT
Substance abuse is a major public health crisis in the United States as its economic burden is greater than $ 1.5 Trillion annual per JEC report. More than 23 million batle the disease of addiction, yet only 1 in 10 who need it receive effective treatment, due to: the high cost, stigma (self, public and within recovery community), and lack of access. In contrast to other chronic diseases, funding for addiction treatment disproportionately comes from government sources. Private insurance only covers appx 10% of costs.
Reforming addiction treatment is the most effective way to address the problem. We must increase affordability, and access to quality, evidence-based treatment programs such as Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT), counseling, therapy, and support networks, including in rural areas which lack crucial resources.
We need to increase harm reduction on services, such as naloxone, syringe services programs and fentanyl test strips to save lives. It is also important to provide access to housing and employment assistance, as well as other social services to those who suffer from substance abuse and mental illness.
It is key we focus on prevention and early intervention strategies since our current healthcare model focuses mainly on treatment.
Prevention efforts can include education and outreach programs that provide information on the risks of drug use and how to access help if someone is struggling with an addiction.
Early intervention strategies should make all medical visits screen for substance use disorder, so we can quickly connect those in need of treatment services with appropriate resources or referrals for treatment. In addition, all treatment should be customized for individual needs and include coordinated care for other illnesses, such as mental or physical disorders.
Addiction treatment reform is a multifaceted and demanding process. To successfully improve the current landscape of addiction care, there are many stakeholders who need to be involved.
The stakeholders include educators, parents, healthcare providers, government agencies, businesses, and advocacy groups such as non-profits.
Our websites are:
Please follow us on our COC social media pages on LinkedIn and Meta.