Stop the Stigma Day a huge success

  On Wednesday, March 9, 2022, Malden Overcoming Addiction (MOA) held their annual Stop the Stigma Day, which originated in 2016. A new organization at the time, MOA, under the guidance of President Paul Hammersley started the awareness day with the goal of putting an end to the stigma surrounding substance use disorders.

  This year MOA brought the “Stop the Stigma Day” into all the Malden Public Schools and the local private schools, Cheverus and Malden Catholic. In some schools students made posters and signs supporting the elimination of stigma. All the schools made time for guest speaker Dana Brown, who asked all students and staff for their support in ending the stigma attached to addiction. Students and staff across the schools wore blue ribbons provided by MOA.

  Using social media as a platform, community activists, first responders, citizens and nonprofit groups across Malden promoted the day with the hashtag #Maldenstopthestigma. Many posted pictures showed the blue ribbons they wore to support the cause.

  MOA is a community partner whose mission is to connect the community with addiction support and recovery services, remove the stigma of addiction and fight to eliminate overdose fatalities in Malden and surrounding communities. The annual MOA “Stop the Stigma Day” is about “leveraging the collective power of Malden’s community to bring attention to the stigma surrounding addiction.” The stigma associated with drug addiction prevents many from seeking the help, whether emotionally or physically, that they require.