What would you do if someone you loved was struggling with drugs? Judge Linda Davis was known for her tough sentences on people who used drugs. Then her daughter, a student and athlete, got hurt at age 17 and needed knee surgery. She was prescribed opioid painkillers, and over time that led to heroin use. With her addiction spiraling out of control, her daughter told Judge Davis late one night: “Mom, I’m a heroin addict. I need help.”

“Judge Davis’ story is a powerful example that addiction does not discriminate – it can happen to anyone,” said Gail Ploe, Facing Addiction Through Community Engagement (FACE) Project Director at the Western UP Health Department. “We know that COVID-19 has only increased substance misuse. This event is a chance to talk about solutions, and what we can do in our communities to address addiction.”

Judge Davis will be visiting multiple counties here in the Upper Peninsula to share her personal and professional story. She is one of the founders of the Hope Not Handcuffs program, and the Executive Director of Families Against Narcotics. The FACE consortium invites community members, law enforcement, EMS, treatment providers, those dealing with addiction and their friends and family to attend:

— Sept. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ojibwa Community College Gym in Baraga

— Sept. 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Glad Tidings Fellowship Hall in Hancock

This event is funded by an R-CORP grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration. The FACE consortium is led by the Western UP Health Department, with partners Dial Help, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. For more information about the event, reach out to Gail Ploe at 906-482-7382 ext. 103 or gploe@wuphd.org. Find resources for people with addiction and their loved ones at www.906face.com.