BetaHCF Case Studies Library is in beta. We're still adding campaigns and fixing things.
HCF Case Studies Library

← All campaigns · Open in the library

▶Videoyoutube.com

Change the Script

“Change the Script”

Connecticut statewide prescription opioid and overdose prevention campaign (US-CT) launched February 2018 by the governor's office with the Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Consumer Protection and Public Health, aimed at rewriting both the "script" (prescription) and the stigma around addiction. Still running in 2026 on DrugFreeCT.org as a DMHAS-funded toolkit, billboard set and two community resource vans, with audience pages for older adults, veterans, employers, food service and construction, and promotion of the SafeSpot overdose prevention hotline.

Years
2018–now
Country
United States
Topic
DrugsOpioids
Asks people to
Reduce stigmaSeek helpStartTalk to someone
Strategy
MetaphorStigma reduction
Channel
Clinical settingEventsOutdoorRadioSocial (paid)
Audience
CliniciansGeneral public
Tailored versions for prescribers, funeral homes and realtors; mobile resource vans at about 200 community events.

Evidence

Self-reportedUnknown

Process reports only (billboards, radio, mall and bus ads, 200 events by 2023 per a DMHAS presentation to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee); no outcome evaluation found.

Sponsor (who paid)

Credits (who made it)

Not recorded yet.

Executions (individual ads)

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. CT DMHAS: Change the Script sponsor
  2. DrugFreeCT: Change The Script (campaign hub and toolkit) sponsor
  3. CT DMHAS Prevention and Health Promotion Division: Opioid Prevention, Education & Awareness Activities (presentation, 11 July 2023) sponsor · 2023
  4. CT Clearinghouse: Change the Script (one-page description) sponsor
  5. WSHU: Connecticut launches opioid awareness campaign news · 2018
  6. Heley K et al. Reducing Health-Related Stigma Through Narrative Messages. Health Commun reference · 2019 · DOI 10.1080/10410236.2019.1598614 · PMID 31014112
  7. Ledford VA et al. Don't Call Them "Unclean" Or "Unkempt": Analyzing the Harmful Direct and Indirect Effects of Opioid Stigma Marks on Stigmatizing Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions. J Health Commun reference · 2025 · DOI 10.1080/10810730.2025.2552949 · PMID 40898421
  8. Ledford V et al. The Influence of Stigmatizing Messages on Danger Appraisal: Examining the Model of Stigma Communication for Opioid-Related Stigma, Policy Support, and Related Outcomes. Health Commun reference · 2021 · DOI 10.1080/10410236.2021.1920710 · PMID 33941010
  9. Hom JK et al. The impact of news photographs on drug-related stigma: A randomized message testing experiment in a National Sample of US Adults. Prev Med reference · 2025 · DOI 10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108293 · PMID 40311941
  10. Krendl AC et al. Addiction onset and offset characteristics and public stigma toward people with common substance dependencies: A large national survey experiment. Drug Alcohol Depend reference · 2022 · DOI 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109503 · PMID 35644088
  11. Frkovich J et al. Opioid-Related Public Health Communication Campaigns: An Environmental Scan. Am J Health Promot reference · 2022 · DOI 10.1177/08901171221082471 · PMID 35365055

Research notes

US-CT. Hub is drugfreect.org, run by the Connecticut Clearinghouse (a program of Wheeler Health) in partnership with DMHAS (site footer); the PSAs are on the CT Clearinghouse YouTube channel (oEmbed-confirmed; upload years not captured). No agency credited on any fetched page: the 2018 launch release, the DMHAS campaign page, DrugFreeCT and the 2023 DMHAS presentation name none, so credits stay empty. 2018 coverage said the launch was paid with federal SAMHSA funds; no source ties Change the Script to opioid settlement money (Connecticut's settlement-funded campaign is LiveLOUD, ct-liveloud). Discovered 2026-10-22 for #17 (extended: 2021+ status, executions). Ad library search: "Change the Script CT", "Connecticut DMHAS", "Drug Free CT". Evaluation links reviewed 2026-10-22: six general opioid-stigma message studies (Heley 2019, Ledford 2021, Ledford 2025, Hom 2025, Krendl 2022, Frkovich 2022 environmental scan) set to reference; none evaluates this campaign. Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.

Record cases/ct-change-the-script.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign