New Programs Surface At Opioid ‘Community Call To Action’
December 12, 2017 at 6:16 p.m.
By Dan [email protected]
Surrounded by nearly 300 people, seven advocate groups and 13 panelists, a middle-aged woman wearing a black jacket stood up in the crowd at Center Lake Pavilion Monday night and offered some salient advice for the community about drug recovery.
She stood before the audience, admitted her son was on his third stint in prison for drug-related crimes and pointed out that illegal drugs were just as plentiful inside as they are outside of the prison walls.
“You can choose to be off drugs while you are in prison and that’s fantastic, but when they come home, there is a big need for help,” she said. “That environment is still there and their old friends are gonna come calling.”
“I guess I would like to see help when they come home as well,” she told the panelists assembled in what was touted as a “Community Call To Action” aimed at addressing the opioid crisis.
The woman, who did not give her name, underscored a repeated theme echoed by many at the meeting that more forms of support at various stages of recovery are needed if the community wants to curb the drug problem.
By the end of the two hours, she said she was pleased with what she heard and organizers of a Call to Action on the opioid crisis pledged to continue the discussion.
Visitors on Monday heard some alarming statistics about opioids that is driving the demand for more recovery options and intervention.
So far this year, 23 people ranging in age from 13 to 61 and stretching across socio-economic levels have died from overdoses. At the same time, according to rough estimates, Narcan, which reverses overdoses, has been used upward of 297 times.
“I think the problem is way worse than what we acknowledge,” said Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed who oversees the county drug court and was one of the panelists.
“I don’t think we can over-exaggerate the problem.”
Those in attendance at the Call to Action event learned of several new or possibly emerging programs in the county.
One of those is Bridge To Hope, a new program in Warsaw being established with state and local funding that will pay for a director and train nearly two dozen recovery coaches who will work with a range of different people seeking help with drug abuse.
The non-profit group has opened an office at 3111 E. Center St., is establishing a website and has worked with police to refer its first two people to get services.
“We don’t provide counseling or anything like that. We’re a resource center,” said Mickey Ashpole, president of the board of directors for A Bridge To Hope. “If you’re affected by addiction, you come to us and we’re going to give you an option of where to go.”
Another program under consideration in Kosciusko County is the Jail Chemical Additions Program (J-CAP), which has been tried in a handful of counties in southern Indiana and provides a treatment program for those in jail.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert, another panelist, said he intends to talk with the county commissioners about revamping part of the work release building near U.S. 30 to establish a “pod” that could house upward of 16 inmates who are voluntarily interested in entering rehab.
Aaron Negangard, a chief deputy with the Indiana Attorney General, attended Monday’s meeting and said they’ve seen good results from the program in other counties.
“What we’ve found is that it works really well when coupled with a drug court,” Negangard said.
“It’s our goal to see these programs in every county in the state,” he said.
Representatives of Bowen Center touted the expansion of medication-assisted treatment programs.
While some argue that such drugs like methadone just replace the original drug problem, Bowen Center officials pointed to reasons to consider it, including statistics that show it helps move patients forward in the recovery process and reduces the number of babies born with an addiction.
“If this keeps them alive long enough to give them a chance, I don’t see why we would say no to it in the kind of crisis we are addressing right now,” said Megan Fisher, director of addiction services for Bowen.
She pointed out that the program coincides with a variety of other support programs.
Bowen also announced plans to establish a regional methadone clinic in Fort Wayne early next year.
Catherine Southworth, recovery center director with Bowen, said the Warsaw office has been offering several types of medical-assisted treatments since last year. While officials have seen good results, Bowen has decided to add a methadone center in Fort Wayne beginning in March, she said.
The clinic will serve up to 2,000 patients.
“One of our goals is to have immediate care. What is happening to a lot of patients who overdose and get resuscitated with Narcan, they don’t get engaged in treatment. They just return back to the drug. A lot of that is because they don’t have an intervention immediately when they have an overdose,” Southworth said.
“This program will offer that,” she said.
The Call to Action event was organized by Bowen Center and A Bridge To Hope. Mary Gerard, vice president of human resources for Bowen, said they are planning another meeting early next year.
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Surrounded by nearly 300 people, seven advocate groups and 13 panelists, a middle-aged woman wearing a black jacket stood up in the crowd at Center Lake Pavilion Monday night and offered some salient advice for the community about drug recovery.
She stood before the audience, admitted her son was on his third stint in prison for drug-related crimes and pointed out that illegal drugs were just as plentiful inside as they are outside of the prison walls.
“You can choose to be off drugs while you are in prison and that’s fantastic, but when they come home, there is a big need for help,” she said. “That environment is still there and their old friends are gonna come calling.”
“I guess I would like to see help when they come home as well,” she told the panelists assembled in what was touted as a “Community Call To Action” aimed at addressing the opioid crisis.
The woman, who did not give her name, underscored a repeated theme echoed by many at the meeting that more forms of support at various stages of recovery are needed if the community wants to curb the drug problem.
By the end of the two hours, she said she was pleased with what she heard and organizers of a Call to Action on the opioid crisis pledged to continue the discussion.
Visitors on Monday heard some alarming statistics about opioids that is driving the demand for more recovery options and intervention.
So far this year, 23 people ranging in age from 13 to 61 and stretching across socio-economic levels have died from overdoses. At the same time, according to rough estimates, Narcan, which reverses overdoses, has been used upward of 297 times.
“I think the problem is way worse than what we acknowledge,” said Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed who oversees the county drug court and was one of the panelists.
“I don’t think we can over-exaggerate the problem.”
Those in attendance at the Call to Action event learned of several new or possibly emerging programs in the county.
One of those is Bridge To Hope, a new program in Warsaw being established with state and local funding that will pay for a director and train nearly two dozen recovery coaches who will work with a range of different people seeking help with drug abuse.
The non-profit group has opened an office at 3111 E. Center St., is establishing a website and has worked with police to refer its first two people to get services.
“We don’t provide counseling or anything like that. We’re a resource center,” said Mickey Ashpole, president of the board of directors for A Bridge To Hope. “If you’re affected by addiction, you come to us and we’re going to give you an option of where to go.”
Another program under consideration in Kosciusko County is the Jail Chemical Additions Program (J-CAP), which has been tried in a handful of counties in southern Indiana and provides a treatment program for those in jail.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert, another panelist, said he intends to talk with the county commissioners about revamping part of the work release building near U.S. 30 to establish a “pod” that could house upward of 16 inmates who are voluntarily interested in entering rehab.
Aaron Negangard, a chief deputy with the Indiana Attorney General, attended Monday’s meeting and said they’ve seen good results from the program in other counties.
“What we’ve found is that it works really well when coupled with a drug court,” Negangard said.
“It’s our goal to see these programs in every county in the state,” he said.
Representatives of Bowen Center touted the expansion of medication-assisted treatment programs.
While some argue that such drugs like methadone just replace the original drug problem, Bowen Center officials pointed to reasons to consider it, including statistics that show it helps move patients forward in the recovery process and reduces the number of babies born with an addiction.
“If this keeps them alive long enough to give them a chance, I don’t see why we would say no to it in the kind of crisis we are addressing right now,” said Megan Fisher, director of addiction services for Bowen.
She pointed out that the program coincides with a variety of other support programs.
Bowen also announced plans to establish a regional methadone clinic in Fort Wayne early next year.
Catherine Southworth, recovery center director with Bowen, said the Warsaw office has been offering several types of medical-assisted treatments since last year. While officials have seen good results, Bowen has decided to add a methadone center in Fort Wayne beginning in March, she said.
The clinic will serve up to 2,000 patients.
“One of our goals is to have immediate care. What is happening to a lot of patients who overdose and get resuscitated with Narcan, they don’t get engaged in treatment. They just return back to the drug. A lot of that is because they don’t have an intervention immediately when they have an overdose,” Southworth said.
“This program will offer that,” she said.
The Call to Action event was organized by Bowen Center and A Bridge To Hope. Mary Gerard, vice president of human resources for Bowen, said they are planning another meeting early next year.
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