TV and movies are a common way for the public to learn about important health topics. Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, provides entertainment industry professionals with free background on many aspects of health through briefings, panel discussions, and tip sheets.
CHCF funded the organization to provide materials that help screenwriters more accurately depict addiction on television and in other entertainment programming. This effort included the development of tip sheets with basics on the opioid epidemic, opioid addiction in women, and addiction treatment in corrections.
CHCF also sponsored a panel event, Addiction & Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma, in July 2019. Speakers included clinical experts in addiction, as well as Hollywood screenwriters. You can listen to the panel discussion, or watch the 90-minute video below:
