Helping a leading treatment provider translate evidence-based care into messages that build trust, reduce stigma, and normalize help-seeking
The Opportunity
Founded by the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, APT Foundation is a leading provider of substance use treatment and recovery services in Connecticut. As a very early adopter of medication for opioid use disorder and other innovations, APT has long worked to remove barriers to care. The organization sought a communications partner that could help engage the community in viewing opioid use as an urgent chronic health condition and humanizing people who need their help.
The Campaign
Over multiple years, Red Rock partnered with APT Foundation to develop and execute a series of research-informed public awareness and community engagement initiatives. Bold campaigns such as Let’s Break Barriers to Treatment, Stand in the Gap with APT, and Everybody Knows Somebody combined education, storytelling, advocacy, and community outreach to translate evidence-based approaches to treatment into accessible public-facing messages. As APT expanded its Open Access model through new clinics and mobile treatment services, these campaigns fostered productive conversations about substance use disorder and community care.
Our Approach
Through a combination of brand strategy, public relations, social media, web content, video production, community engagement, and thought leadership initiatives, we developed campaigns and resources designed to build trust, reduce stigma, support informed public dialogue, and strengthen the organization’s position as a respected voice in the field.
Campaign Animation
In partnership with an animation studio, we created a narrative-driven commercial that translated systemic public health challenges into an accessible, emotionally resonant story for community audiences.
600,000 views within a two-month period
Social Media
We developed and managed social media content that fostered public conversations around opioid use disorder, chronic pain, recovery, and family experiences. The work attracted engagement from diverse sources, including municipal health departments, youth organizations, housing and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, educators, and real estate developers. Documentation of these interactions has since contributed to an ongoing qualitative research study.
The Podcast
We created an original podcast called Open Access/Open Mic that extended the CEO’s vision into broader public dialogue, challenging assumptions about substance use disorder while encouraging empathy, understanding, and support for those in treatment and recovery.
600+
Downloads
1000+
Listens
Results
The partnership helped elevate APT Foundation’s profile as both a trusted treatment provider and a national leader in evidence-based approaches to opioid use disorder, earning recognition through industry awards, media opportunities, and broader engagement with public health stakeholders.