The Opioid Crisis

The opioid crisis is just that — a crisis, with increasing illnesses and deaths and ripple effects that touch every sector of our communities.

Few people are more aware of that reality — and more determined to combat it — than Andy Gish 06BSN, RN, CEN.

Gish is an award-winning BoardCertified Emergency Nurse, overdose prevention educator, and legal nurse consultant. She teaches overdose prevention and harm reduction to health care staff, students, community groups, and universities.

A longtime advocate for opioid overdose prevention education, she practices compassionate, open-minded care to destigmatize this marginalized and ever-growing population. She is a registered nurse at the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, a partnership between Emory Healthcare and the Hazelden Betty

Ford Foundation. She also volunteers with Georgia Overdose Prevention and the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition, serving as a community distributor and educator on naloxone. Also known as Narcan, naloxone is an FDA-approved medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

Gish was influential in the passage of Georgia’s Medical Amnesty Law “Don’t Run, Call 911,” which expands access to Narcan and provides limited immunity from arrest and prosecution for individuals seeking medical help for themselves or others for a drug overdose. She testified before lawmakers in support of legislation that put Georgia ahead of most states in addressing the opioid crisis.

Gish has been recognized by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of the top 10 nurses in Georgia, and she received the Commander’s Coin from the U.S. Public Health Service for her work.