4th Judicial Recovery Court Graduate to Speak in President’s National Opioid Crisis Forum

Mallie Jane Moore, a graduate from Judge Duane Slone’s 4th Judicial Recovery Court program, has been asked to participate in President Donald Trump’s forum on Thursday.

“I am so excited! It is surreal and I am so honored to be asked,” shares Moore. “I actually made a statement not that long ago that I would go to the white house,” she chuckled.

Moore gives praise to God and the 4th Judicial Drug Court team for standing behind her, and her recovery community.
Judge Slone says Moore recently traveled to Chattanooga to participate in an Opioid Crisis Round-Table with HHS Secretary Tom Price. The post Round-Table Press Conference was attended by Judge Slone, Governor Haslam and also Kellyanne Conway.

“When we met in Chattanooga, I think that the Counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, saw in Mallie what we see: an authentic young lady who had a childhood filled with adverse childhood experiences, yet lives in gratitude daily – doing what she can with what she has – to share her experience, strength and hope with hurting people.

“Mallie has a powerful story to tell, and I am grateful that President Trump and the First Lady will get to hear it first hand.”
Currently, the 4th Judicial Drug Court Team consist of :
(Dandridge Team): Public Defender Ed Miller, Rebecca Lee Assistant Public Defender, Assistant Public Defender Keith Haas, District Attorney Chuck Murphy, Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Ball, Assistant District Attorney Tonya Thornton, Probation officers Rick Wardroup and Taylor Reidy, Veteran’s Court Frank Vollmer, Caseworker Thomas Howell, Executive Director and Drug Court Coordinator Patty Williams, and Rev. Debra Shultz, Executive Director/CEO of Jefferson County Substance Abuse Coalition, Rescue 180.

“I have watched Mallie grow into an outstanding parent, and hard worker over the last four years, and it proves with faith, encouragement and a strong support system, sobriety can be found and recovery does exist!” shares Rev. Debra Shultz from Rescue 180, who also shares that Moore has always been willing to participate in several public symposiums that the Coalition has sponsored.

“Just recently she spoke at a Count it! Lock It! Drop it! symposium, and touched many lives.”

Shultz says one of the things she admires about Moore is her desire to preach prevention, and does not want to glamorize the hard life she has lived, but rather, warn other youth about the pitfalls of substance abuse.

Moore will also be participating in a local faith-based recovery event on November 14th, at True Life Church in Jefferson City, sponsored by Rescue 180 and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

“We hope the community will join us. It is open to everyone”.

“Addiction is a true disease, but it does not have to be a death sentence. There is help out there. Mallie is a living testimony to that fact,” concluded Shultz.

“The President has declared that the opioid epidemic is now a real crisis in our country, but the problem has been around for a while.

“We are now in ‘rescue mode’, and recovery programs are paramount to so many we love, but let’s not drop the prevention ball.

“Prevention education, and programs implemented throughout our communities, are the number one tool we need to use nationwide, to end this crisis”.

“Yes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”