Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/958890
us are experiencing healthier, longer lives, many of us—especially the most vulnerable—will live sicker, shorter lives than our parents. A century-long trend of increasing lifespans is reversing. Over 1 million Americans have died unnecessarily in the last 10 years from alcohol, drugs and suicide. This is the equivalent of nine school buses going over a cliff…every…single…day. Current projections for these "deaths of despair" point to increases of 80 – 100 percent in the coming decade. That means another two million lives lost. Parents and children gone. Families suffering. Businesses, schools and communities torn apart. It's a national crisis that poses a grave threat to our country. But we have solutions. We know there is no surer path to stronger communities, a thriving economy and robust homeland security than overturning the decline in well-being among the American people. I am hopeful. We are seeing signs of progress every day—people turning to one another for support, and communities working to remove the barriers that divide. We are witnessing innovative solutions that stem the suffering, increase access to integrated care, and improve the community conditions that give rise to intergenerational well-being and resilience. Advancing this work, and being a catalyst to significantly amplify these efforts, is the focus of Well Being Trust! With a bold mission, a growing set of partners, a newly formed staff and advisory team of national leaders, and an initial These aren't just statistics. These are our friends, family members, co-workers and neighbors. Well Being Trust | Annual Report | Letter from Tyler Norris 3