A documentary on the on the nation's opioid crisis, and featuring the Chillicothe community, has been nominated for an Emmy.
"Heroin's Children" was produced by Al Jazeera USA and is set in Chillicothe and was developed as part of Al Jazeera USA’s weekly program Fault Lines. The documentary looks at the invisible victims of the ongoing crisis; a generation of children who are being neglected, abandoned or orphaned.
The program’s staff traveled to Chillicothe multiple times throughout the past year to meet a teenager who lost both her parents to drugs; a mother whose heroin addiction led her to overdose in front of her young son; a grandmother unexpectedly raising four granddaughters; pregnant women struggling with addiction; and police and firefighters responding to harrowing overdose scenes.
Adena Health System played an instrumental role in helping Al Jazeera USA tell its story, with unparalleled access to Adena’s nationally-acclaimed Centering Pregnancy and Baby-Centered Recovery programs. The series included interviews with leading voices in this battle, including: Dr. John Gabis, primary care provider with Adena Family Medicine, chair of the Heroin Partnership Project (HPP) and Ross County Coroner; as well as Donna Collier-Stepp, Adena Women and Children’s Licensed Independent Social Worker Supervisor.
“We are grateful that this important story could get more attention,” said Laila Al-Arian, Senior Producer. “The film could not have been done without the help and permission to film at Adena. I believe the scene featuring the pregnant women was extremely powerful and memorable. I hope it leads to more awareness.”
The Emmy nominated program can be viewed at www.aljazeera.com/faultlines.
The 39th annual news and documentary Emmy Awards will be presented on Monday, Oct. 1 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City.
The film's Emmy nominations include Best Story in a News Magazine, Outstanding Medical report and Outstanding Editing.