On September 21st, 2016 over 175 officials, service providers, medical personnel and concerned citizens came together in Marion, Ohio to talk about the opiate epidemic. ARCHway Institute and ADAMH partnered to put on the event which targeted education and awareness followed by action the city was taking to combat the epidemic. Many individuals in recovery told their moving stories about their journey and the hurdles they faced trying to manage this chronic disease.The keynote speaker was Sam Quinones who is an investigative reporter that wrote the book Dreamland. He painted and educated us all on how many different factors came into play that caused the perfect storm for this epidemic.
The keynote speaker was Sam Quinones who is an investigative reporter that wrote the book Dreamland. He painted and educated us all on how many different factors came into play that caused the perfect storm for this epidemic.
The message for this gathering was one of HOPE. When it seems like all the news around this epidemic is horrific this group came together to hear inspiring stories of recovery and creative methods by law enforcement, the legal systems, prevention groups and recovery service groups as well as organizations like ARCHway that are putting plans into action to battle this epidemic.
Many thanks to Amy, Kelly, Bethani, Nathan and Heather for sharing their stories of hope and recovery yesterday and to Elizabeth for painting a picture of loss for everyone to understand the impact of this epidemic. The struggle is real but so is the hope that lives in recovery. We couldn’t have done this without Judge Teresa Ballinger, Judge Robert Fragale, Judge Jim Slagle, Prosecutor Brent Yager, Major Jay McDonald and without the support of ADAMH for partnering with us. It was a great day.
