b'care venues and treatments, but even that wasnt enough,health is at the core of all well-being and touches every Mandy says.campaign project, we became inspired.That year, more than 70,000 people across the country diedMandy and Michael invited Michelle for dinner at their home of a substance use disorder, and the Office of the Presidentin Alamance County. Michelle asked about Adrienne, what declared the opioid epidemic a state of emergency.she was like, favorite memories. Then the three brainstormed. The doctors at Cone Health have done enormous workShe was so thoughtful about making sure we felt fully to be very cautious of opioid prescriptions, Mandy says.involved in the creation of a fund to honor Adrienne, so Its dangerous, and theres a lot of pharmaceutical policythats what we set out to do.reform that still needs to happen. But its not only there. Its in our streets. Its in our schools. Its at our worksites. Its soThey established Adriennes Fund, with Mandy and easy to obtain, and thats the real challenge. Michael committing $100,000 over the first few years. A social media campaign subsequently brought in more What can we do to begin solving such a complex,than $30,000 from friends and family members. widespread problem? Last summer, they met again at the lake, and this time For starters, weve got to get further upstream withAdrienne was there, in her own special way. Friends, family prevention, and that starts with recognizing that the stigmamembers and donors came to celebrate the success of the is real, Mandy says.fund and to imagine the good that will come from it. When a family member or loved one is diagnosed withFirst and foremost, critical dialogue. Over the years, many cancer or has a broken ankle, we rally around them. We feelpeople had shared with Mandy their own stories, real-life it. We see it. We make cakes, we bring them food, we go toaccounts that previously had been kept private. cancer treatments, we sit with them. But when people have mental health issues, we dont. We should be showing upI thought, Wow. If this fund does nothing else, maybe it for them, and were not. will start a conversation. So, that became one of the calls to action at the party. We agreed to talk about mental health. We also need to get creative.We said, Lets not perpetuate the stigma. Lets love people for who they are and recognize this as a disease, just like The traditional path isnt going to get us there, Mandyanything else. Lets be leaders.says. We have to be willing to be innovative in how we think about mental health and we have to utilize technologyFor those whove lost loved ones to mental illness and and invest in research in new and different ways. addiction, having hopes and dreams is a forever-altered experience. Mandy can envision something powerful, After they lost their daughter, Mandy and her husband,however, with Adriennes Fund being the catalyst. Michael, spent a lot of time sitting with the grief and thinking through how to channel it into something positive.My grand vision is that more people become interested in serving in the mental health field, more people conduct We had a little life insurance money that was just sittingresearch and are driven to find cures because they see there, Mandy says. But we wanted to be sure it wouldwhats possible, Mandy says. make a difference.Mandys words evoke memories of the underdogs her About that time, Cone Healths Campaign for Healthydaughter fought for with that determined, tender heart.Communities had launched, and behavioral health kept surfacing as an opportunity. I told Michelle SchneiderMy greatest hope is that people impacted by addiction (chief philanthropy officer) that I saw myself innovating andpersonally get involved and help us make Adriennes making things better for the next person with mental healthFund a movement for our community, Mandy adds. The issues or a substance use disorder. Because behavioralcollective power will be extraordinary. All health systems are facing the problem of addiction and mental illness.Some are choosing not to invest in solutions because its not a moneymaking proposition. At Cone Health, we know we must tend to the mental health needs of our communities, and weve taken big steps, adding psychiatrists to the community, building out school-based telehealth, partnering with our local counties and law enforcement, and finding ways to embed mental health care into primary care. Mandy Eaton, Chief Operating Officer the giving effect20239'