Posted on August 30, 2017
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
This past Sunday, Moving Starke County Forward hosted an event for Overdose Awareness at Wythogan Park. The event honored the community’s first responders as well as featured moving testimony from a former addict who is now working to raise awareness and promote recovery.
The event coordinator was Jordan Morris, a member of the Moving Starke County Forward Leadership Team. Morris said they wanted to include a ceremony honoring first responders because of the incredible service they provide to the community.
“Honoring first responders seemed to be something that happens less frequently than it probably should,” Morris said, “So we sent invitations to all of the departments that have individuals serving as first responders.”
Fifteen awards were presented to several different departments including the Starke County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch, EMS and local fire departments to thank them for their sacrifices and commitment to the community.
Following the award ceremony, Tiffany Witham shared her recovery story with the crowd of about 50 community members who were gathered for the event. Witham’s former probation officer approached Morris about including Tiffany as the speaker since she was three years clean this past July. Witham struggled with addiction for 6 years before recovering. It was a long, tedious process but she uses her past experiences to help raise awareness and provide recovery encouragement to addicts.
Witham said, “I understand people fear or hate what they don’t understand and there’s a lot of people that do not understand addiction. They hate addicts, they write these horrible things about them…and they need help and it’s a hard habit to break. I just want people to understand that there is hope.”
Tiffany’s full speech can be found on the Moving Starke County Forward Facebook page.
The event concluded with a candlelight vigil where individuals lit a white candle in memory of lost loved ones. International Overdose Awareness Day is Thursday August 31. Community members are encouraged to wear silver or gray on this day to show support for addiction recovery and overdose awareness.
Showing posts with label International Overdose Awareness Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International Overdose Awareness Day. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Monday, August 29, 2016
Recovering Addicts, Advocates Speak Frankly During Candlelight Vigil
Posted on August 29, 2016
Author Mary Perren, WKVI
Moving Starke County Forward is working to reduce the stigma attached to drug abuse and deaths due to overdoses. The 56 ribbons that have lined the front lawn of Starke Hospital for the past few weeks represent local lives lost to drug overdoses over the past seven years. They were moved to Wythogan Park in Knox last night for the second annual candlelight vigil to remember lives lost and celebrate those who are in recovery.
Todd Willis with Porter-Starke Services says it’s important for addicts and their families to remember they are not alone, and there is hope. He adds addiction is not an illness of weakness.
“You’re loved one that passed wasn’t weak. You and your family members that are struggling with addiction, it’s not about being weak. We known now things that we didn’t know before in terms of brain signs, and how these kind of chemicals, once they get into your bloodstream, do changes on a physical level to your brain. It makes it very difficult to stop. And so we want to encourage you, in an event where we remember, encourage you that there’s hope,” Willis said.
Nicole Dixon also spoke. She is an addict in recovery who started using drugs as a young teenager to mask her feelings and moved on to heroin in her early 20s in what she described as a “crazy spiral of drug use.” Dixon was arrested at age 23 with her ex-husband and convicted of dealing heroin. She completed a rehabilitation program while in prison, has been sober for three years and two months and just completed her probation.
“Don’t give up on your son, your daughter, your brother, your sister…I know they’re killing you, but they’re killing themselves, too, and maybe one day they might change,” she said.
Mike Hookman has been in recovery for three years. He agrees you can’t turn your back on people.
“There’s a fine line between tough love and no love. Addicts can’t recover alone. They need a support system. They just need people there to talk to, and everyone recovers differently.”
Hookman says addicts will fall down in their struggle to overcome their addiction, but says it’s what you do when you mess up that matters most.
WKVI will air the entire program on Sunday, Sept. 4 at noon on Kankakee Valley Viewpoints.
Author Mary Perren, WKVI
Moving Starke County Forward is working to reduce the stigma attached to drug abuse and deaths due to overdoses. The 56 ribbons that have lined the front lawn of Starke Hospital for the past few weeks represent local lives lost to drug overdoses over the past seven years. They were moved to Wythogan Park in Knox last night for the second annual candlelight vigil to remember lives lost and celebrate those who are in recovery.
Todd Willis with Porter-Starke Services says it’s important for addicts and their families to remember they are not alone, and there is hope. He adds addiction is not an illness of weakness.
“You’re loved one that passed wasn’t weak. You and your family members that are struggling with addiction, it’s not about being weak. We known now things that we didn’t know before in terms of brain signs, and how these kind of chemicals, once they get into your bloodstream, do changes on a physical level to your brain. It makes it very difficult to stop. And so we want to encourage you, in an event where we remember, encourage you that there’s hope,” Willis said.
Nicole Dixon also spoke. She is an addict in recovery who started using drugs as a young teenager to mask her feelings and moved on to heroin in her early 20s in what she described as a “crazy spiral of drug use.” Dixon was arrested at age 23 with her ex-husband and convicted of dealing heroin. She completed a rehabilitation program while in prison, has been sober for three years and two months and just completed her probation.
“Don’t give up on your son, your daughter, your brother, your sister…I know they’re killing you, but they’re killing themselves, too, and maybe one day they might change,” she said.
Mike Hookman has been in recovery for three years. He agrees you can’t turn your back on people.
“There’s a fine line between tough love and no love. Addicts can’t recover alone. They need a support system. They just need people there to talk to, and everyone recovers differently.”
Hookman says addicts will fall down in their struggle to overcome their addiction, but says it’s what you do when you mess up that matters most.
WKVI will air the entire program on Sunday, Sept. 4 at noon on Kankakee Valley Viewpoints.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Overdose Deaths See Big Reduction in Starke County
Posted on August 1, 2016
Author Tyler Maffitt, WKVI
Starke County is reporting some positive news in the battle against drug overdose.
According to data from the Starke County Health Department, an average of nine drug-related deaths were reported between 2008 and 2013 – ranging between seven and 12 deaths each year. Figures from 2014 and 2015 show four overdoses: a significant drop from previous reporting periods.
Jordan Morris serves on the board of Moving Starke County Forward – which aims to improve the health and quality of life of local residents. She says the goal is to get to a point where Starke County reports zero overdoses.
“Educating the public, educating the community on the dangers associated with the opiate pain medications, I think, is huge,” says Morris.
Each year, Moving Starke County Forward displays ribbons on the hospital lawn in Knox as part of its awareness campaign. That includes an event on August 28th – which will invite residents affected by overdose to share their experiences in Wythogan Park.
Legislation signed into law since 2014 has provided better infrastructure for those fighting substance abuse problems in Indiana, according to Morris. House Enrolled Act 1006 allocates funding for mental health and addiction treatment programs. INSPECT tracks opioid prescriptions through an online database. Further, Senate Enrolled Act 227 gives immunity to first responders using naloxone on possible drug overdose victims.
Morris says the product has even been used in Starke County.
“After its use, the individual is always taken to the hospital for follow-up care and that’s important,” says Morris. “Because it does have a time frame at which point the life of the opiate could be longer.”
Some of the overdoses reported in Starke County are considered accidental overdoses, according to Morris. Two overdose deaths have been counted in 2016.
Despite the recent changes, the annual County Health Rankings study conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation listed Starke County 90th out of 92 Indiana counties in Health Outcomes and 87th in health factors this year. That’s still considered a modest improvement from the previous year.
Morris says drug use trends in Starke County, and a reduction in overdose statistics, could have an impact on the factors included in the study.
“Economic development is largely impacted by health statistics,” says Morris. “Crime rates: there have been studies that show the link between poor health and crime. I think it goes beyond what we even understand as far as the impact that improving the health statistics would have on our community.”
Non-fatal emergency department visits are also considered important to understand broader drug-use trends. Between 2010 and 2014, Starke County rank 18th out of the 90 Indiana counties that reported data in the state per 100,000 residents. Pulaski County ranked 5th for non-fatal ER visits.
International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized on August 31st.
Author Tyler Maffitt, WKVI
Starke County is reporting some positive news in the battle against drug overdose.
According to data from the Starke County Health Department, an average of nine drug-related deaths were reported between 2008 and 2013 – ranging between seven and 12 deaths each year. Figures from 2014 and 2015 show four overdoses: a significant drop from previous reporting periods.
Jordan Morris serves on the board of Moving Starke County Forward – which aims to improve the health and quality of life of local residents. She says the goal is to get to a point where Starke County reports zero overdoses.
“Educating the public, educating the community on the dangers associated with the opiate pain medications, I think, is huge,” says Morris.
Each year, Moving Starke County Forward displays ribbons on the hospital lawn in Knox as part of its awareness campaign. That includes an event on August 28th – which will invite residents affected by overdose to share their experiences in Wythogan Park.
Legislation signed into law since 2014 has provided better infrastructure for those fighting substance abuse problems in Indiana, according to Morris. House Enrolled Act 1006 allocates funding for mental health and addiction treatment programs. INSPECT tracks opioid prescriptions through an online database. Further, Senate Enrolled Act 227 gives immunity to first responders using naloxone on possible drug overdose victims.
Morris says the product has even been used in Starke County.
“After its use, the individual is always taken to the hospital for follow-up care and that’s important,” says Morris. “Because it does have a time frame at which point the life of the opiate could be longer.”
Some of the overdoses reported in Starke County are considered accidental overdoses, according to Morris. Two overdose deaths have been counted in 2016.
Despite the recent changes, the annual County Health Rankings study conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation listed Starke County 90th out of 92 Indiana counties in Health Outcomes and 87th in health factors this year. That’s still considered a modest improvement from the previous year.
Morris says drug use trends in Starke County, and a reduction in overdose statistics, could have an impact on the factors included in the study.
“Economic development is largely impacted by health statistics,” says Morris. “Crime rates: there have been studies that show the link between poor health and crime. I think it goes beyond what we even understand as far as the impact that improving the health statistics would have on our community.”
Non-fatal emergency department visits are also considered important to understand broader drug-use trends. Between 2010 and 2014, Starke County rank 18th out of the 90 Indiana counties that reported data in the state per 100,000 residents. Pulaski County ranked 5th for non-fatal ER visits.
International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized on August 31st.
Friday, August 28, 2015
8/30/2015 Sunday Vigil to Mark International Overdose Awareness Day
Published:
The ribbons on the lawn at IU Health Starke Hospital represent local victims of overdoses over the past seven years.
Moving Starke County Forward is trying to take the stigma out of drug overdoses with a Sunday evening event at Wythogan Park in Knox. Advocates and community members will remember the 61 lives lost in Starke County with a candlelight vigil and share information about the perils and pitfalls of drug use. Jordan Morris from Starke County Community Corrections says people who use drugs are less likely to be aware of the potential consequences of their actions. She says common rationalizations include “I know my limit” or “I always test what I get first, so I know the strength of it.” She adds mixing different types of drugs can often prove fatal.
Michael Hookman is a recovering addict. He says it takes hitting “a very extreme” bottom to realize there is a problem. Hookman admits he thought he knew his limits and was immune to becoming a statistic.
“Very many times I did come close to death, and even after that I still never did think death would happen to me. Luckily I got out before it did,” Hookman said.
Morris says the first step to recovery is admitting to having a problem. She says treatment options vary from inpatient residential services to weekly relapse prevention groups. Medication management is also a viable option for some people.
Sunday’s event starts at 6 p.m. It will give all who have been affected a chance to publicly mourn and help the community understand how fatal overdose profoundly affects mainstream society. The day also serves as a warning that all drugs can be dangerous and no one is immune to overdose. Family and friends are encouraged to attend and bring a photo to honor their loved one. Tributes may also be submitted in advance through the Moving Starke County Forward Facebook page or via email atakochar@porterstarke.org. They will be shared at the event.
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