Founded in 2015, Truth Pharm is a Binghamton-based nonprofit organization fighting to raise awareness and reduce stigma around substance use. Instead of defining itself as an antidrug organization, Truth Pharm classifies itself as an antiharm organization — understanding that while the use of drugs for pain, recreation and addiction may persist, individuals have the autonomy to take control and change their future for the better.

Alexis Pleus, the organization’s founder and executive director, explains that Truth Pharm was born after losing her eldest son, Jeff, to a heroin overdose in August 2014. She wanted to help people like herself support their loved ones through addiction.

“Based on our family’s experiences and extensive research after losing Jeff, I felt compelled to help make a difference in our community,” Pleus wrote in an email. “My goals related to getting at the root causes of the problem; that’s why our mission statement includes education, raising awareness, reducing stigma and advocating for change. I believe those things are key to turning this epidemic around.”

Since then, Truth Pharm has evolved significantly, “mostly organically based on community needs,” according to Pleus. The organization’s Broome County base has since become a drop-in center for those seeking help, but Pleus notes that Truth Pharm’s long-term goal is to turn overdose fatalities back to pre-opioid epidemic levels by 2029 and transform the system to the point where they are no longer needed.

Largely run by volunteers and staff members who have been personally affected by the ongoing opioid crisis, Truth Pharm finds its strength in the community. Previous events include monthly support groups, information sessions, educational workshops and an annual mid-August Trail of Truth march that honors lives lost to substance use. Binghamton University students themselves have played a critical role in calling for policy reform by preparing a nationally recognized report on New York state’s misappropriation of Opioid Settlement Funds. The proper routing of these funds is critical to the success of grassroots organizations like Truth Pharm, which Broome County officials attribute to helping to decrease fatal drug overdoses by 43 percent in the past year.

Macina Johnson ’25, an administrative intern at Truth Pharm who co-authored the report and a first-year graduate student studying business administration, described the value in supporting organizations “embedded within the communities they serve” rather than larger, private institutions operating at a distance.

“Opioid Settlement Funds are critical for organizations like ours because they directly support life-saving and community-centered services,” Johnson wrote in an email. “This includes the distribution of naloxone and educational programs which help to reduce stigma and increase awareness of the opioid epidemic, which can create a meaningful and immediate impact within our communities.”

Kim Durkee, one of the organization’s board members and a registered nurse, turned to Truth Pharm for guidance after witnessing her daughters’ struggle with substance use disorder. She saw how drugs have tangibly affected her family, through encounters with law enforcement and experiences of physical abuse.

“I had been a nurse a long time but dealt with medical issues like wounds, breathing issues but not mental health/substance use issues like this,” Durkee wrote in an email. “I started attending the classes, ‘Clearing the Confusion.’ I wanted to understand the disease, the legal system, and the programs to help. As the problems continued to grow, I was more knowledgeable on the system with health care, legal and the disease. I wanted to be heard and help other people.”

With 40 years of experience in nursing, Durkee has also come across several instances of illicit drug use among other health care professionals. Today, she offers Narcan training at local nursing homes in Broome County, which helps staff recognize the signs of an overdose and reversing its effects by administering naloxone.

Mary Nolan, a social care navigator at Truth Pharm, joined the team for similar reasons. As someone currently in recovery, Nolan can better relate to her clients and establish personal connections that lend itself to individualized support — understanding that everyone’s journey looks different. Whether it’s food, clothing or shelter, Nolan and her team at Truth Pharm work to connect people to what they need to improve their well-being.

“Everyone has a different story and goes through different things, but a lot of our clients’ struggles are things I have personally struggled with myself,” Nolan wrote in an email. “This allows me to have peer to peer interactions with them. There is no judgment, I have been where they are. I strive to meet people where they are at, give them all the help I can give and treat them the way I would like to be treated.”

Nolan discussed the importance of Truth Pharm’s work and harm reduction as a practice, an approach that has proven effective in encouraging most of its clients to make a change and reduce their use. It may take time, but Pleus describes any progress achieved as “magical.”

“The best thing that anyone can do for someone actively using substances is to give them love and respect,” Nolan wrote. “Harm reduction is a necessary tool in keeping people alive and as safe as possible so that they have the chance to make different decisions in the future. They may not always get the chance to find recovery in the future if we do not help with whatever we can in the present.”