Max’s Mission was founded in 2016 by Julia and David Pinsky after the tragic overdose death of their son, Max, in 2013. From the beginning, our mission has been clear: to save lives in Southern Oregon that might otherwise be lost to overdose by freely distributing naloxone, the medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and give someone a second chance at life.

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The opioid epidemic has touched countless families across the country, including right here in our own communities. During the same winter that Max died, three other young men in Ashland also lost their lives to heroin overdoses. More than a decade later, the crisis has only intensified. Today, fentanyl and nitazenes - synthetic opioids many times more powerful than heroin - are driving a devastating wave of overdoses. Fentanyl can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin, while some nitazenes are estimated to be 10 to 40 times stronger even than fentanyl. These substances are causing deaths at an alarming rate, leaving families, friends, neighbors, and entire communities reeling from unimaginable loss.

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Because these newer synthetic opioids are so potent, overdose prevention efforts must adapt. Reversals often require multiple doses of naloxone instead of just one, making widespread access to this medication more urgent than ever. By ensuring naloxone is in as many hands as possible - whether carried by first responders, community members, or people at risk themselves - we can meet this evolving crisis head-on and continue saving lives.

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Since 2016, Max’s Mission has steadily expanded its services to meet the evolving needs of our community. We now operate walk-in offices in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties, and we also provide low-barrier outreach five days a week at public locations across each of the three counties. Through both our offices and outreach efforts, participants can access free naloxone and overdose response training, syringe exchange services, wound care and hygiene supplies, and referrals to housing and treatment programs. We have also trained hundreds of community members through in-person naloxone training classes on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using naloxone, and we have adapted our training for today’s realities - emphasizing the need for multiple doses, rescue breathing/CPR, rapid response, and community readiness in the face of the fentanyl and nitazene opioid landscape.

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In addition, we have built a network of more than 100 NaloxBoxes - publicly accessible stations stocked with naloxone and refilled daily, so lifesaving medication is available 24 hours a day, whenever and wherever it is needed. Beyond overdose response, Max’s Mission also provides peer counseling and grief support groups, working closely with participants to help them connect with addiction treatment, healthcare, housing, and other critical resources.