As part of a statewide show of gratitude to front-line workers who confront the opioid epidemic, the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board is leading Lorain County’s efforts for First Responders Week of Appreciation, Sept. 20-26.
During the week, the MHARS Board delivered gift baskets to 54 local departments, including police, fire, EMS, 9-1-1 dispatch; 16 canine officers; seven emergency rooms; and one children’s services office, according to a news release from the board.
The National Institutes of Health called the opioid epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic a “collision of public health crises,” the release said.
The statewide team identifies children’s services workers, EMTs, emergency department staff, 9-1-1 dispatchers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, behavioral health workers and “anyone else who may experience burnout or secondary trauma as a result of their work with individuals with addiction” during the week of appreciation, the release said.
The MHARS Board supports successful interactions between first responders and members of the community who are in distress by offering training on solving challenges related to mental illness and substance abuse, according to the release.
The MHARS Board also funds Quick Response Teams of a police officer and behavioral health clinician to visit overdose survivors with the goal of engaging individuals to seek treatment, and funds mobile response teams to support crisis calls throughout Lorain County, the release said.
Local Week of Appreciation efforts are sponsored by the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, according to the release.
