20 Stories of Impact

Alexandra Hicks has personally seen the dangers of substance misuse. Before joining the Alliance, she had friends who engaged in drugs and saw the impact it had, the wreckage it caused, for them and their families. She became committed to helping people trapped by addiction and was involved for nearly a decade helping people connect with available resources. She didn’t want to see any more people damaged or killed by drugs.

About a year and a half ago, Alexandra saw a job posting for the Alliance. She says that as she read it, she had a “Eureka!” moment. “I never thought that I could do professionally what I was so passionate about,” she says.

Today, Alexandra is a Program Specialist with the Alliance. She focuses on overdose prevention. She is the lead Naloxone trainer and oversees deployment of Save a Life Stations in Oakland County communities with member coalitions. She has been with the Alliance since November of 2022. 

She relates that she knew that the programming was making an impact when, this Spring, she was giving a training session on Naloxone administration. One of the participants had also attended a session last Fall. Says Alexandra, “Apparently one of this person’s family members had surgery and had been prescribed an opiate for pain. Inadvertently, the family member forgot she took a dose and took another. Because of her training, the participant had Naloxone in the house, recognized the symptoms, administered Naloxone and called 911 as we trained her to do. Her family member survived. Maybe without our participant’s training, she would not have.”

Because of experiences like these, Alexandra feels confident that the robust offerings of the Alliance are making a difference in lives of people in the communities they serve.

“I feel very privileged to be part of the Alliance and its mission. I know that we’re making a difference,” Alexandra said.