News

Chelsea Laliberte, Co-Founder of Live4Lali, Named Recipient of the First Annual Kaléo Cares Award

– Award Honors Outstanding Achievements Serving Patients in Need –

Richmond, Va. (October 5, 2015) – Kaléo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, today announced that Chelsea Laliberte, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Live4Lali, has been awarded the first annual Kaléo Cares Award for outstanding achievements serving patients in need. The award was presented October 4th, onstage at the UNITE to Face Addiction rally, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

“Chelsea founded Live4Lali, a substance use disorder and overdose prevention advocacy organization in 2008 after losing her brother, Alex “Lali” Laliberte, to an opioid overdose,” said Spencer Williamson, CEO of Kaléo. “Thanks to her amazing efforts, Live4Lali is changing lives everyday through substance use prevention education, treatment navigation, peer-to-peer support and remarkably effective advocacy at the local, state and federal policy levels. We salute Chelsea and commend her for the amazing progress she is making in her community.”

Live4Lali’s Overdose Prevention Program has trained more than 8,000 first responders, treatment providers, medical professionals, businesses, legislators and community members to identify and take action in an opioid emergency situation, such as an overdose. It is estimated that the program has helped reverse more than 300 opioid overdoses as of June, 2015.

“I am excited and honored to receive this award from Kaléo and thrilled to call them our partner in this endeavor to end fatal overdose in America,” said Ms. Laliberte. “An idea can only be effective when the right people and opportunities align to put it in motion. It is only because of Kaléo’s generosity that my work and the efforts of Live4Lali’s volunteers, community partners and trainers can be fulfilled.”

In addition to leading her non-profit organization, Ms. Laliberte is a co-founder of the Lake County Opioid Initiative and the lead advocate for House Bill 1, known as the “Heroin Crisis Act” that passed the Illinois Legislature in September, 2015. The new state law, which overcame a gubernatorial veto, requires all police departments in Illinois to implement overdose prevention programs, requires state Medicaid coverage for certain substance abuse disorder treatments, as well as mandatory school drug prevention programs. She also facilitated and organized more than forty International Overdose Awareness Day events across North America in 2015.

“Chelsea Laliberte, co-founder of Live4Lali and the Lake County Opioid Initiative, is extremely deserving of this recognition for her efforts on behalf of families in our community and nationwide,” said U.S. Representative Robert Dold of Illinois. “As a co-chair of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force, I have worked closely with Chelsea and am inspired by her passion for helping others. Plain and simple – there are people alive today who would not be if it weren’t for her tireless efforts.”

“Live4Lali has been an instrumental partner providing impactful solutions to ending the opioid epidemic in Lake County,” said the Honorable Michael G. Nerheim, Lake County Illinois State’s Attorney. “As a founding partner in the Lake County Opioid Initiative, Live4Lali has taken on a leadership role in our community and has grown from a grass-roots organization to one that has had a positive impact across Northern Illinois. I commend Kaléo for recognizing Chelsea Laliberte and her outstanding team.”

“At Kaléo, we are guided by our mission of empowering patients and caregivers to confidently take control in serious or potentially life-threatening situations,” said Mark A. Herzog, vice president of corporate affairs at Kaléo. “We are proud to present this award to Chelsea for her remarkable achievements in the name of her brother, Alex, and applaud all those who are speaking out and taking action against the opioid overdose epidemic.”

The Kaléo Cares Product Donation Program provides product at no cost to certain qualifying non-profit organizations and other groups demonstrating need, as well as support for individual patients facing financial hardships who do not have insurance coverage for prescription medicines.

For more information about the Kaléo Cares Product Donation Program, please visit kaleo.com.

About Kaléo (kuh-LAY-oh)

Kaléo is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to building innovative solutions for serious and life-threatening medical conditions. Our mission is to provide innovative solutions that empower patients to confidently take control of their medical conditions. We believe patients and caregivers are the experts on how their medical condition impacts their lives, and are an integral part of our product development process. Each Kaléo product combines an established drug with an innovative delivery platform with the goal of achieving superiority and cost effectiveness. Kaléo is a privately-held company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. For more information, visit kaleo.com.

Media Contact:
Mark Herzog
Kaléo
mark.herzog@kaleo.com
804-545-6360 ext. 318 (office)