First, Put the Oxygen Mask on Yourself

In Jefferson County, Alabama more people die from drug addictions than car accidents. In 2015, 726 people died of drug abuse in Alabama. Opioid addiction is one of the biggest public health crises in the nation. Alabama has the highest number of people taking opioid prescriptions in the U.S.
​In all areas of the world, health issues are an imposing problem. But, we can't begin to take action on a larger scale until we first fix the problems in our own communities. After processing these facts, it brings to our attention how much we have to accomplish in our own city. We tend to focus a lot on worldwide health, but we will never get close to helping to improve worldwide health if we can't first take into account and solve the problems in our own community. By making our community a healthy and thriving environment, our efforts will naturally bring hope to other communities throughout the country and the world.  

Liam Spokes, 8th