25-02-2025
Nancy Davis' Cure Addiction Now to Host First Fundraiser at Beverly Hills Hotel
Cure Addiction Now (CAN) will hold its first fundraising event on February 24 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The organization, founded by Nancy Davis, continues her long-standing commitment to healthcare philanthropy that began after her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis at age 33, which led her to establish Race to Erase MS—a charity that raised $56 million for MS co-founded CAN with her late son Jason, who struggled with opioid addiction for 12 years. Jason passed away from COVID-19 shortly after CAN received its 503c3 status. The upcoming fundraiser coincides with the fifth anniversary of his death and will honor his dedication to advancing scientific research on Substance Use Disorder (SUD)."He was the kind of kid who wanted to always help people. Always help people. He just got such a kick. There's nobody who he wouldn't help no matter what was happening, anytime a day," Davis has collaborated with medical experts from prestigious institutions including Mount Sinai, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Scripps, University of Washington, UC Davis, Columbia, University of Kentucky, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The organization has funded 19 studies dedicated to SUD research, reflecting Davis's commitment to scientific approaches to addiction treatment.
By studying addiction as both a mental and physical illness, CAN aims to reduce the stigma surrounding SUD. Davis explained, "I think forever, everybody's really been fixated on the idea because there's not been any research of growing for AA in the 12-step program. And if that works for you, that's amazing. I commend everyone for doing that. But it's it's based on something very spiritual, and it's not based on anything scientific. I'm a scientific person, and I really believe that we use medicine and we really study things, that we can come up with a lot of cures and a lot of treatments and different ways of treating people."The organization recently awarded an Innovation Grant to fund research on Belsomra, a non-narcotic sleeping pill that may help those with insomnia related to SUD while potentially reducing drug cravings. "We're in the middle of developing a better version of that too and keeping the part that makes you sleep at the same dosage, but the part that stopped your cravings, we're gonna we're doubling that part of the medication, and it will stop you, hopefully, between 80 and 100% from craving drugs," Davis Cure Addiction Now Inaugural Fundraising Evening will feature performances by Rufus Wainwright, Siedah Garrett, Scout Willis, Luke K, Madison Love, and Colin Love. An auction will also take place to support the 10 doctors to whom CAN grants $75,000 each response to recent L.A. wildfires, CAN plans to donate to a local center supporting SUD patients affected by the disaster, with a focus on youth who can no longer access treatment at their schools or community centers."People aren't paying attention about just how much the fires have affected so many people about a mental health problem or an addiction has made it 10 times worse."
