SIDNEY — Events in Sidney, Troy and Piqua are planned to celebrate National Recovery Month in September, beginning with Overdose Awareness Day kickoff events on Aug. 31.
Memorial services and candlelight vigils will take place Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 5-7 p.m. at the Shelby County Courthouse courtsquare in Sidney, and from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Miami County Courthouse Plaza in Troy. Participants are asked to bring a picture of a loved one lost to addiction or overdose for the memorial service.
The Sidney Overdose Awareness Day event is hosted by Megan Burchett, and will feature speakers including Sidney Fire Chief Chad Hollinger; Megan Campbell, administrator for the Wilson Health New Vision Inpatient Withdrawal Management Service; Becky Drinnen with the Sidney Addiction Assistance Team; Celebrate Recovery; and others. The event is supported by donations from FOA Families of Addicts and Ohio Harm Reduction. Pizza will be provided by Papa John’s pizza in Sidney. For more information about the Sidney Overdose Awareness Day event, contact Burchett at [email protected] or Cody Odom at [email protected].
The Troy Overdose Awareness Day event is hosted by Harm Reduction Ohio and takes place at the Miami County Courthouse Plaza in downtown Troy, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Featured organizations include the Miami County Drug-Free Coalition, FOA Families of Addicts, Piqua Compassion Network, SOAR, Recovery & Wellness Centers of Midwest Ohio, TCN Behavioral Health, Family Resource Centers of Northwest Ohio, BrightView, and the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services. For information about the Troy Overdose Awareness Day event, contact Tonja Catron at [email protected].
National Recovery Month is an observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible. There are two events planned for the month in Shelby and Miami Counties.
A Mental Health Information Fair will take place Thursday, Sept. 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miami County Courthouse Plaza, sponsored by the Miami County Common Pleas Mental Health Court. The event will feature more than 40 mental health, substance use, support agencies, and wellness programs. There will be yoga demonstrations and instruction, free haircuts, snow cones and other activities.
Miami County Common Pleas Judge Stacy Wall said, “Miami County and the surrounding area has a wealth of resources for the entire community but many are unaware of all of the different resources or how to access them. This resource fair brings those resources to one location and is an opportunity for the entire community to learn for themselves or to help others.”
Among the support services highlighted at the Information Fair will be employment, wellness, driver’s license, food, housing, education, and mental health and substance use treatment programs.
Wall has spearheaded a multi-faceted approach to court-involved persons whose mental illness is a contributing factor through a specialized docket called Mental Health Court. Similar in approach to Drug Court, Wall’s Mental Health Court opened its first docket in June, and is in the process of being certified as a Specialty Docket by the Ohio Supreme Court.
“Being exposed to the resources will strengthen our community as we will all be able to assist one another in knowing what is available,” Wall said. “The power of community and information sharing is invaluable.”
For more information about the Information Fair, agencies and the public can contact Jonathan Kanet, Mental Health Court coordinator, at [email protected] or at 937-440-6065.
To close out National Recovery Month, Wilson Health New Vision is hosting a community celebration “Recovery is for Everyone” event Sept. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Shelby County Courthouse courtsquare in Sidney. The free event will feature community partners, vendors, food trucks and more.
New Vision is a withdrawal management program that helps transition persons from active substance use to sustainable recovery.
Community partners who wish to participate in the event may contact Megan Campbell at [email protected].
The Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services supports celebrations of recovery, and is helping to make these and related events accessible through its website at www.tcbmds.org/recovery-month.
Tri-County Board Executive Director Terri Becker said, “We welcome these opportunities to celebrate recovery in our communities. It is important for persons in recovery, and for the loved ones of those lost to overdose, to promote dignity and compassion and reduce stigma related to addiction.”
