On Wednesday, March 11th at 7PM in the Clubhouse Great Hall , Crystal Hale, Director of the Orange County Department of Social Services, will be our monthly Civic Club speaker. In addition to being charged with ensuring all federal and state mandated human services programs are provided to the citizens of Orange County, Crystal also has a passion for addressing additional social issues such as the opioid epidemic. The Epidemic Intelligence Council (EpIC) is a local council that meets monthly to discuss the opioid crisis and the impact it has in Orange County. This council is comprised of a cross-section of leaders from Orange County, concerned citizens, health professionals, family members and individuals with direct experience, media, and a number of other concerned individuals. Crystal currently serves as the facilitator of EpIC and; along with all participants of the group, she is committed to helping to educate the community, provide resources for those in need, and diminish the ugly stigma of addiction. While Crystal enjoys her work with EpIC, she points out that the great progress made is a result of the overall group effort.
Ms. Hale will provide insight on the opioid epidemic to include a brief history as well as what it looks like from a national, state, and local perspective. Crystal will focus on the importance of eliminating the stigma of addiction and will also touch on the progress made, the additional work currently underway, and what the future holds.
Crystal is a life-long native of Orange County and currently lives with her husband, two teenage children and various pets on the family farm. She graduated from Orange County High School and earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from The University of Mary Washington. After spending over ten years working for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in various management positions, Crystal accepted an opportunity to work with the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and shifted her focus to the human services field. She served as Director at Rappahannock County Department of Social Services prior to coming to Orange County Department of Social Services in 2017 and is thrilled to serve her hometown community.