Matthew Perry Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital team up to fight addiction
BOSTON - The Matthew Perry Foundation, which carries on the legacy of the actor best known for his role on "Friends," is partnering with a hospital in Boston to fight addiction.
Massachusetts General Hospital on Tuesday announced the creation of the "Matthew Perry Foundation Fellowship in Addiction Medicine."
The inaugural fellow is Dr. Sarah "SK" Kler, who will join an exclusive program that helps physicians "become specialists and leaders in Addiction Medicine," the hospital said.
"The Matthew Perry Foundation is honored to be in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital's Addiction Medicine Fellowship program," the foundation said in a statement. "Matthew believed deeply in eliminating the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction and, with that in mind, we are proud to lend our name to this important work."
Matthew Perry's struggle with addiction
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the long-running sitcom, died from "the acute effects of ketamine," an autopsy found, after he was found dead in a jacuzzi at his home in Oct. 2023.
In a best-selling memoir published the year before his death, Perry opened up about his struggle with addiction. He wrote that he was taking 55 Vicodin a day while "Friends" was on TV, and "I couldn't stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive."
"My hope is that people will relate to it, and know that this disease attacks everybody," Perry told People magazine. "It doesn't matter if you're successful or not successful, the disease doesn't care."
Reducing the stigma
MGH said about 50 million Americans struggle with addiction, and hundreds of thousands die every year from alcohol and drugs. Fellowship program director Dr. Sarah Wakeman, the senior medical director for substance use disorder at Mass General Brigham, said it's important to incorporate addiction treatment with the rest of medical care.
"Mass General will work in close collaboration with the Matthew Perry Foundation to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and, most importantly, offer hope to those of every age, background and experience who are struggling with substance use disorder," Dr. Wakeman said in a statement.
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