Advocates from three organizations gathered in Tappan Square in Oberlin to promote their mission to help bring an end to the opioid epidemic.
In the southern part of Lorain County, a group of women spent time educating the public about addiction and local services to help those in need of mental health.
Addiction has been on the forefront of the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County (MHARS), like many others, for a number of years.
The MHARS is campaigning throughout the area to promote open communication with addicts and their families about their situation in order to better treat the person in need, said Jinx Mastney, of the MHARS.
The MHARS also distributes, along with its partnering organizations, Narcan kits, medical safes and medicine disposal kits to help promote safety, Mastney said.
Giving the public knowledge about where to go for help has been identified as a need in outlying communities such as the Wellington and Oberlin as well as the smaller municipalities in the area, said Debbie Kelley, of the Rural Response Network (RRN).
The RRN was formed late in 2020 to begin reaching out to people living in the rural areas of the county who don’t have access to treatment centers close to their homes, Kelley said.
The opioid epidemic is prevalent in the rural areas, just like the urban areas, and people addicted to substance must be given resources to seek and receive the assistance they need, Kelley added.
The RRN was formed with that idea in mind and its mission is to “reduce overdoses and overdose deaths and strengthen and expand the capacity of Oberlin, Wellington and surrounding rural townships to engage high-risk populations and provide substance use and opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery support services,” according to information distributed by Kelley.
The group, like the MHARS, is like-minded in teaching acceptance and attempting to stop the stigma related with substance-abuse disorders, Kelley said.
“It’s important for family members not to be ashamed of (the addict,)” Kelley said.
“We’re trying to rebuild the community to help support this high-risk population,” she added.
The RRN is growing in its capacity with supporting funding from several sources, Kelley said.
“This is really, really needed out here,” she added.
Another group, the LCADA Way, was represented by Emily Winfield, a prevention educator for the group.
The LCADA Way helps individuals and families as well as the community, as a whole, suffering from alcohol abuse, substance abuse and behavioral health issues.
The group focuses on education, prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse, substance abuse and behavioral health issues, according to its website.
Winfield teaches prevention classes to high school students in the southern area of Lorain County.
“It depends on the day. Sometimes, I teach five classes a day,” said Winfield.
Teaching about addiction, including gambling, is an important factor in the fight against addiction, Winfield said.
“We encourage people not to buy lottery tickets for children.. Sometimes, all it takes is one big win,” Winfield warned.
Due to new changes in the gambling laws, Winfield is hitting the topic of gambling hard as the sport season has begun and will also play a role in an increase in gambling, she said.
