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Removing the Stigma of Addiction

Stephanie Rose was the first in her family to go to college. For her, pursuing higher education also meant she could help her family.

“I’m the oldest of six, so community college made sense for me,” Rose said. “And I wanted to get the fastest degree so that I could help support my siblings.”

So, she decided to pursue nursing and attended what is now National Park College in Hot Springs. It was during the early years of her career that she realized her true calling.

“I learned that, ‘No, I don’t want to be a nurse,’” she said. “I had always had a passion for social work, but there was a lot of negative stigma surrounding social work. ‘Oh, you’re gonna just take babies away.’

“When I actually met with social workers in the field, I learned that the field is so vast and you can do so much with it.”
With an associate degree, Rose returned to school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and earned a bachelor’s and master’s in social work. She later earned a Doctor of Social Work from Capella University.

Rose chose to focus on addiction studies and currently serves as director of UCA’s addiction studies program. She started in this role in 2018.

Through this role, she serves as an adviser and mentor to students and earned tenure as an assistant professor. Of course, she also pens research projects solely or with other faculty; however, the work is personal to Rose, so she takes it far beyond the classroom.

At 18, Rose herself could have fallen victim to dependency, recalling a physician prescribing a medication that can be habit-forming.

“I went into this knowing I don’t wanna become addicted. I want to change that narrative, and I see how easily this can happen just from visiting our own doctors, whom we trust,” Rose said.

Since becoming program director, Rose has spearheaded efforts to bring naloxone boxes to campus, making BT����the first Arkansas institution to participate in the Collegiate Naloxbox Bystander Rescue Program. Launched in August 2022, wall-mounted Naloxboxes were placed in areas on campuses in high-traffic areas or where a student may experience an overdose. Each Naloxbox can accommodate up to two doses of naloxone and is equipped with a mask for rescue breathing, gloves, and information on how to obtain personal naloxone and how to access addiction treatment.

In 2023, Rose helped to secure nearly $24,000 in opioid settlement dollars to provide naloxone doses and training to students, faculty and staff.

Through the Naloxone Hero Project, the funding comes from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership.

Rose has conducted countless trainings on using naloxone with students at BT����by visiting dozens of Recognized Student Organizations, such as sororities and fraternities, as well as other local campuses. She maintains a rigorous schedule of several training sessions each semester to ensure that any student or student group that wants to be trained has the opportunity.

“I’m so passionate about this because I’ve personally been impacted,” she said. “I lost a cousin to a Fentanyl overdose by smoking marijuana that was laced with Fentanyl, and I started losing people the older I got. I’m like, ‘This is getting worse.’”
Just this year, BT����was awarded over $202,000 in opioid settlement dollars from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP). This funding will be used to establish and operate a peer support and recovery specialist program at BT����and within Faulkner County, Conway and surrounding areas.

With all of Rose’s activities at BT����and across the state, Rose has been honored with a named, fully endowed scholarship. Named the “Stephanie Rose Addiction Studies Program Scholarship,” this funding will support a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in addiction studies with a preference for nontraditional students who do not qualify for traditional financial aid.
Rose never expected the funding, but she is hopeful it will create more advocates for this work.

“I want to be that generational changemaker,” Rose said. “And we need champions, and we need people to be passionate because stigma has gotten us to the point where people are afraid to reach out for help.”