Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0725-3243

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Problem/Project Report

Degree Type

MS

College

Reed College of Media

Department

Reed College of Media

Committee Chair

David Smith

Committee Member

Ashton Marra

Committee Member

Joel Beeson

Committee Member

P. Nick Curran

Abstract

The opioid crisis has impacted many Americans. From 1999 to 2023, approximately 800,000 people have died due to opioid overdose (CDC, 2025). What began as overprescription of painkillers has evolved into a complex social health issue that is now worsened by stronger synthetic drugs like fentanyl. Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (synthetic opioids that are very similar chemically to fentanyl) are often found in illegal drug supplies and in counterfeit pills (CDC, 2025). Thus, individuals who might have been initially overprescribed painkillers might now be pushed toward illegally produced drugs that are significantly more potent than what they were originally prescribed.

Individuals directly affected by the crisis experienced devastating effects, such as health complications, strained relationships, social isolation and job loss. This has affected not only those individuals, but also immense financial, psychological and communal turmoil in their communities, especially in a state that already struggles with a lack of resources to address the issue.

The crisis has also led to increased incarceration rates in West Virginia. From 2017 to 2019, 56.2% of incarcerations were a result of drug-related crimes (Frye, 2023). As opioid use surged, so did arrests for possession and related drug offenses. Jails and prisons are overcrowded and do not provide adequate rehabilitation, if any, for those struggling with substance use disorder while in jail or prison, which perpetuates the cycle of addiction and incarceration.

Less than half of jails provide any form of medication for opioid use disorder in the U.S, at 43%, and, “Larger jails, those in counties with lower “social vulnerability” (lower levels of poverty and unemployment, and greater education, housing, and transportation access), and those with greater proximity to community-based providers of medications for opioid use disorder were more likely to offer these treatments” (“National”, 2024). As West Virginia consistently ranks as one of the top 10 poorest states, many incarcerated individuals struggle to find rehabilitation (“Top 10”, 2024).

West Virginia has the highest opioid drug overdose rate in the nation and one of the highest incarceration rates for opioid-dependent individuals (Frye and Williams 1). Beyond the numbers themselves, the opioid epidemic has ravaged many communities throughout the state, leaving many people to struggle without sufficient help or resources.

Previous research has focused on statistics, public policy, and institutional response. Far less attention has been given to the communities most affected, and lacks any follow-up examinations of communities that were hit the hardest. This project primarily examines how community members within local organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies are working to implement solutions that are effective, holistic, and potentially replicable in other contexts.

The lack of reporting of on-the-ground community efforts in the narrative leaves an incomplete picture of how the crisis continues to shape daily life in West Virginia, which we ensured was properly and sensitively explored throughout this project. The lack of reporting on on-the-ground community efforts reflects a broader structural problem: the decline of local journalism and the shrinking capacity of newsrooms to cover complex, resource-intensive stories. Many communities, especially rural ones, receive limited coverage due to staffing cuts, funding shortages, and logistical barriers from various newsrooms.

These constraints mirror the same challenges faced by prevention and recovery efforts themselves: limited transportation, a lack of resources, and the inability to commit to the time-intensive work of building trust in communities shaped by trauma. For journalists, this makes sustained, relationship-driven reporting especially difficult. This documentary was designed in response to those gaps by exploring the stories of resilience, recovery, and ongoing communal struggle by focusing on one community that was hit particularly hard: Fayette County.

We visited this area several times to document the solutions being implemented to recover from the epidemic and build resiliency for the future. We conducted on-camera interviews with those involved in the recovery/treatment processes and individuals personally impacted by the crisis. In addition to these interviews, we also collected observational and verité video, shadowing volunteers, staff members and residents affected by the epidemic. We also committed to outside research about the epidemic and what communities are currently facing statistically, especially using information from the CDC, the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

This documentary highlights the ways a community has come together to face these challenges head-on and identifies potential similar solutions for other resource-strapped but tight-knit communities that are persistently determined to lift up disadvantaged people in their communities.

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