Health department celebrates Recovery Month with fair
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RAYLAND -- The Jefferson County General Health District commemorated National Recovery Month with an Overdose Recovery Celebration, uniting recovery-dedicated resources from around the county Friday evening.
The celebration took place in coordination with the Produced with Love Farmers and Artisan Market at Mazeroski Park. Health Commissioner Andrew Henry said that, just as farmers plant physical seeds, the health department hopes to plant seeds of recovery and awareness in the community.
"I think it's really important to highlight that recovery is possible," Henry said of the celebration's purpose. The event brought together various intensive outpatient program providers, as well as first responders and other organizations.
The health department igave away first aid and hygiene kits, as well as step counters and resource guides for Jefferson County.
This is the health department's first recovery celebration, Henry said, and the Ohio Department of Health provides a stipend for its Project DAWN locations to hold either an overdose awareness event or a recovery celebration. With Family Recovery Center having held an Overdose Awareness Day event in Steubenville about two weeks ago, the health department chose to host the latter option.
Originally, Henry said, the health department was approached by Kim McKnight, Produced with Love's organizer, because she wanted the department to host a health-related event in conjunction with the market. The department chose to host its event in September, Henry said, and with September being National Recovery Month, the recovery celebration seemed like a perfect fit.
The market's final day was Friday, but it will return in June and run each first and third Friday in the summer. McKnight said she wanted to have a health event at the market to help others see what resources are available to help them in recovery.
Regarding substance abuse in the area, McKnight said, "It's an epidemic. It doesn't matter who you are or what your income level is, what your education level is. It could affect everybody's families. It's best to get the information out there so people don't feel so alone or afraid to ask for help because the help is there."
The health department itself gave away first aid and hygiene kits, as well as step counters and resource guides for Jefferson County. Games and prizes were offered, alongside recovery-related trivia and drawing baskets, one of which promoted the health department's Maternal and Child Health Program
Representatives from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department were present as part of the department's community outreach program, said road Sgt. Doug Viola. In addition to free department-themed items, Viola said, deputies gave out children's ID kits that contain information -- fingerprints, height, weight and other details -- meant to help police identify children if they go missing.
Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said, "We're trying to do … what we can to get the drugs off the streets, but at the same time we also have to look at the people who are being affected, and we need to help support them (and) help them seek treatment because these are our family members, these are our neighbors."
Trooper J.J. Anderson of the Ohio State Highway Patrol helped people try on special goggles meant to simulate impairment under drugs or alcohol. Sophia Bayne, 7, said the goggles made her "dizzy."
Kaitlin Layman, a registered nurse, represented Full Circle Recovery Services, which is based in Dayton but has an office on Steubenville's North Seventh Street. Layman said the organization offers a partial hospitalization program, in addition to an IOP.
Chantel Lobb, a client with Full Circle, said that she has gotten her driver's permit and enrolled with a college since coming to Full Circle. She said she wanted to spread the word about Full Circle and other organizations like it to help "get people off the streets."
Matt Grimard is the court and community liaison for SELF Discovery, a substance use treatment facility in Mingo Junction that provides medication-assisted treatment, individual and group counseling and a three-phase intensive outpatient program.
Jason Talkington, peer workforce developer, represented the Jefferson County Prevention and Recovery Board, which he said funds agencies that provide behavioral health and substance use treatment services.
Joshua Finney, paramedic for TEMS Joint Ambulance District, spoke about the district's Jefferson County Strategies to Coordinate Overdose Prevention Efforts program, for which he is the outreach coordinator. The program, Finney said, trains first responders to facilitate access to and utilization of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, as well as connect opioid use disorder patients with treatment facilities.
Present at the event were Tiltonsville Fire Department EMTs John and Alice Dowdell and Brandon Motto. Alice Dowdell said it was good to see people taking action against substance abuse, and she promoted a 6-mill levy scheduled to be on November's ballot for Tiltonsville, Rayland and Warren Township that would expand the fire department.
Peer support Zach Davidson of Family Recovery Center said, "I'm happy that there's a place for people to come and get resources. ... Drugs aren't just going to go away. We need to do what we can to help the community."
Tommy Clark of Compass breathwork studio, advertised his four monthly breathwork classes, as well as a once-a-month class for individuals in addiction recovery, the next of which will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Cosmic Flow in Toronto. Clark, himself in recovery, described breathwork as "meditation where you manipulate your breath" that "puts you in a safe place to communicate with yourself."
Mary Ellen Bolock, a retired teacher at Buckeye Local High School and recent appointee to the Jefferson County Prevention and Recovery Board, attended the fair with her daughter-in-law and two of her grandchildren. Bolock said she came for the market but said the resource fair was "fantastic."
"(Substance abuse) touches everybody in some way. ... This is at the root of many problems," said Bolock, who added she hopes to help the board connect with local schools and bring about a positive change for the county.