The City of Reno has launched a public awareness campaign called “Finding the Light: Real Stories of Survival and Service” aimed at reducing stigma around opioid use, promoting open conversation and connecting residents to local treatment and recovery resources.
Campaign uses settlement funds, centers local voices
City officials are using money from a statewide opioid settlement to underwrite the campaign, which features personal accounts from community members who have been affected by opioid addiction. The campaign’s stated goals are to create a safer environment for honest discussion, reduce the social stigma that often prevents people from seeking help, and ensure that people struggling with addiction are aware of available supports.
Two of the campaign’s stories highlight employees at Crossroads, a Washoe County human services initiative that runs Recovery Community Management services. The featured voices include Kelsie Dreher, an opioid survivor who now works in Crossroads’ Recovery Community Management Department, and Joshua Shay, a Peer Recovery and Support Specialist at Crossroads who is also an opioid survivor.
“If we look around the city, it's devastating to see how many people are really struggling,”
Dreher, who has been sober for nearly five years, told campaign organizers she now works to help people still battling addiction. She emphasized the growing danger posed by opioids—sometimes found in substances that are not expected to contain them.
“The main thing right now is opioids. It's even in drugs that aren't supposed to be opioids, you know, and it's creating a really dangerous situation for everybody who lives here in Reno.”
Shay described the power of sharing lived experience as a tool to counteract damaging perceptions. “I've realized that a certain picture is painted and it's not painted by the person living the story,” he said. “It's painted by others, and I think oftentimes that picture is incorrect.” Both said they hope telling their stories will encourage people to accept help and could save lives.
Local implications and available resources
By centering the campaign on local survivors and service providers, Reno officials aim to make recovery pathways more visible and approachable for residents. Crossroads, operated through Washoe County, provides recovery support and a bridge to social services, employment assistance and other stabilizing resources for people emerging from addiction.
- Campaign name: Finding the Light: Real Stories of Survival and Service
- Funding source: Statewide opioid settlement funds
- Featured local partners: Crossroads and individuals working in recovery services
The campaign materials include first-person videos and testimonials intended to normalize help-seeking and to provide concrete links to programs that assist with recovery and reintegration.
| Individual | Role | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Kelsie Dreher | Recovery Community Management Department staff | Crossroads (Washoe County) |
| Joshua Shay | Peer Recovery and Support Specialist | Crossroads (Washoe County) |
Why the campaign matters for Reno residents
Opioid-related harms remain a public health concern across Nevada, and local leaders say stigma and lack of awareness can prevent timely intervention. By amplifying recovery narratives from residents who now work in local recovery services, the campaign aims to lower barriers to treatment and to change community perceptions about people with substance use disorders.
Reno-area residents seeking more information about the campaign or Crossroads’ services are encouraged to visit official City of Reno and Washoe County web pages for details on available programs, contact points and upcoming outreach events.
The campaign represents a city-level investment in public education about addiction and recovery. Officials and recovery workers involved say the effort is intended not only to inform, but to transform how neighbors see and support one another as the community responds to the continuing challenge of opioid misuse.
